Gate: Burn the sky
by Whitethorn23
Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, two civilians turned soldiers struggle to survive while protect a settlement of survivors of a devastating event. But when a gateway to another world opens and contact with an Empire is made, they hope for a peace between the two. But a sinister plot threatens that peace, forcing the two to spring into action.
1. Chapter 1

**GATE: BURN THE SKY**

 ** _" I know not with what weapons that World War III will be fought with, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."_ -Albert Einstein.**

Chapter 1: Legacy

 **The first part will be a series of news reports, followed by a story being told...**

( _Voice of a male news reporter_ )

The U.N has just approved the construction of a new system to counter terrorism threats around the world, giving civilians the hope that the soldiers overseas can come home.

(Voice of a female reporter)

It has been 7 months since the start of the ISIS wars, in which the military forces combating them have struggled to defend the borders of the coalition nations who are involved in combating them.

( _Male Reporter_ )

The U.N military forces have confirmed that initial strikes since COLOSSUS deployment have inflicted serious casualties on ISIS forces, throwing the bulk of their army into retreat...

( _Female Reporter_ )

Recent reports have discovered that a group of U.S soldiers have held ISIS fighters that were advancing on a civilian hospital on the Iranian border...

( _Voice of an American man_ )

It was a few nights before the deployment of COLOSUSS, 60 men from tier-one groups were forced to face off against a force of 600 enemy fighters on the border of a nearby settlement. Their objective was to defend the settlement that housed a WHO Hospital that was treating a sickness that the people were suffering from. For 11 days they had held their ground, but the numbers of the enemy were too great and the 60 strong were now cut down to a mere 16 men. With all options off the table, they had sent one of their own to evacuate the settlement while the remaining 15 returned to the line, taking up new positions underneath the bodies of the fallen soldiers. While in waiting, the blood of the dead poured down onto them while the sand from the desert ground brushed against them, changing them, transforming them, anointing them. When the enemy force had returned to accomplish their original task, they were unaware of the force that had awaited them. They emerged with the speed of a raging river, showing no mercy to their enemies, fighting them with whatever ever weapons they could get their hands on. When the ammunition ran dry, they drew the blades, when the blades ran dull, they used their hands. When the smoke of the battle finally cleared, only one of the 600 had survived, in which the 15 sent him back to the Caliph in a dazed and terrified state. When he returned, he spoke of a force so terrifying, he could only describe it as supernatural, a force had killed over a 100 men even though it was in few numbers. A force so menacing that it could spark fear in you with just a single look, he called them...

"Ghosts."

Brewerton, New York

3:40 pm

" Is that story true dad?" Dante asked.

" So the legend goes." Daniel said.

" Sounds like the perfect opening to a story." Xavier, Dante's friend, said.

Daniel Perez was a veteran air force officer that lives in Texas, but visits New York to see his son Dante on the days he is able to. He took Xavier and Dante out onto a trail that he knew well when he visited New York state on one of the days he came to see Dante.

" Anyway, let's get you boys back." Daniel said, signaling the boys to follow along.

They walked back to the apartment as the trail wasn't far from the apartment complex that Dante lived in with his mom and little brother. They arrived at the apartment and they were greeted by the arrival of Anna, Dante's girlfriend, who was attending the same school as him at the time. But she looked a little annoyed at the fact that Dante wasn't there to greet her himself...

" Where were you?!" Anna demanded.

" Hey, take it easy, I was just hanging with my dad and Xav." Dante explained.

" All right, I'm sorry, it's just, give me a heads up when you hang out with somebody." Anna said.

" Okay." Dante responded.

They proceeded into the apartment to visit and hang out and converse when a small tremor had occurred, but faded quickly. This left Dante a little confused about why tremors were occurring in New York...

" Why the hell are these tremors happening?" Dante said.

" Hey, language." Xavier remarked.

" Sorry, but why?" Dante asked.

" I don't know, there aren't any fault lines in New York." Xavier said.

" Anyway, Do you know what you plan to do when you get out of High school?" Dante asked.

" Probably, look for a college with a good writer's program." Xavier responded.

" Well, I really hope that-" Dante said before Daniel shouted to the boys.

" Boys, you need to see this!" Daniel shouted from the living room.

Dante and Xavier raced from the bedroom to meet up with Anna and Daniel, who were staring at the T.V with horrified expressions. They looked to see a newsman sitting in a newsroom that looked like it had been damaged by an Earthquake, with his clothes being caked in dust possibly blood, holding a piece of paper...

" This is an important emergency broadcast that should not be ignored. The U.N has just confirmed to have lost contact with COLOSSUS Control, along with intelligence that kinetic rods have just destroyed the city of Mogadishu in Africa. It has also been confirmed that the U.S 7th fleet has taken damage by Kinetic rods, with All military branches worldwide on high alert. Wait, there's been reports that COLOSSUS satellites are now firing at random locations wide, god be with us all." The Reporter said before the signal cut out and another tremor happened.

" What did he mean dad?" Dante said, sounding a little scared.

" He meant that we should get the hell out of here." Daniel said.

The group escaped the apartment as an earthquake split the floor of the room, driving them out of the building to see chaos ensuing everywhere as civilians were either looting or fleeing the destruction caused by the COLOSSUS bombardment.

" We need to get the hell out of this area, it's in the firing zone." Daniel said.

" I need to go check on my family, you guys go." Xavier said.

" Wait!" Dante said, but to no avail as Xavier had run off fast.

Daniel loaded his ex-wife and sons into the car and drove like the hounds of hell were on his rear, in which Dante protested that they go check on a close friend of his...

 ** _16 minutes earlier..._**

COLOSSUS Control Station

3:24 pm

The COLOSSUS Control Station was a massive station that was operated by a multi-national crew that was hand-selected by the high-ranking members of the U.N. The crew consisted of technical engineers from the U.K, Weapons specialists from Russia, physicists from Iran, computer programmers from Japan, and Astronaut volunteers from the United States and China. Two volunteers, Mechanical specialist Milo Williams from the U.S and Technical specialist Mako Kirazuki from Japan were preforming a routine maintenance repair on an array while COLOSSUS was undergoing a test fire, with the kinetic rods impacting in the open ocean.

" Man, it's been a long time since I was on solid earth." Milo said.

" You miss Earth, American?" Mako asked.

" Yeah, I miss my family, come on, let's get inside." Milo said, signaling Mako to follow.

" I miss my family too, specially my cousin Noriko." Mako said.

" Really?" Milo asked.

" Yeah, she disappeared before I took up this job. I hope my family was able to find her." Mako said.

The two astronauts proceeded to the airlock of the station, spotting a comet that was possibly heading towards the station, so Milo decided to tip off his partner that was on the station about it to see if it could be a possible threat..

" _Milo, COLOSSUS is registering a successful test fire ping._ " Angie, Milo's partner, said over the radio.

" That's great Angie, listen, I got a comet that looks like it's in the station's path, can you track it's progress?" Milo asked.

" _I'll see what I can do, come on inside."_ Angie said.

" Okay, me and Mako are on our way inside." Milo explained.

Milo and Mako entered the airlock and board the enormous space station to meet with their partners to discuss latest matters and the successful test fire of the satellites. But they were unaware of the threat that was about to happen...

" Come on, Mako, let's go see what Angie wants." Milo said.

" Okay." Mako said in response.

While they were proceeding through the station, a resupply shuttle was docking with the station to drop off supplies and new personnel for the massive U.N controlled station. Specialist Luke Baker saw Milo passing by and decided to ask him for some help...

" Hey Milo, can you give us a hand with the unload?" Baker asked.

" Sure." Milo said, before the sound of millions of pings hitting the metal hull of the station.

" What the-" Baker said before a small object shot through the hull and killed him.

" OH MY GOD!" Another astronaut said before he was killed by another small object.

Milo was given no other choice than to slam the air lock shut as the offload crew was immediately slaughtered by a barrage of small object. He was horrified by what had happened, until Angie contacted him on the radio to warn him...

" _Milo! Are you there?!"_ Angie screamed.

" Angie? What the hell is going on?!" Milo demanded.

" _It's that comet! It was moving faster than you thought._ " Angie explained before going silent.

" Angie? Angie!" Milo said.

" _Attention COLOSSUS Control, this is U.N Control, we are registering Protocol 17 has now been activated, who the hell threw the switch?_ " The U.N controller said.

" Protocol 17? What?" Milo said.

" Protocol 17: in case any outside hostile force compromises any nation's security, COLOSSUS is programmed to destroy industrial sites, population centers, and transportation routes in order the progress of the hostiles." Mako explained.

" But wouldn't that completely obliterate the nation's economic infrastructure?" Milo pointed out.

" Yes, but we haven't had to program the protocol since we've never had to use it." Mako explained.

" So what does that mean?" Milo asked.

" It means that COLOSSUS is going to be firing at anything it can hit!" Mako exclaimed.

The two astronauts raced to try and find Angie, who could be the only one that could stop the launch fro happening. But they were unable as Angie was killed by a barrage of stones from the comet, in which the U.N controller came back on over the comms...

" _Specialist Williams, COLOSSUS just fired on Mogadishu, the city is destroyed. Kinetic payloads are now sequencing for targets in the US, Russia, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East._ " He said.

" My god." Milo said.

" UN control, how can we stop the payload sequencing?" Mako asked.

" _We're gonna to try scuttling the station to try and stop the firing, otherwise you'll have to knock out the main satellite to disrupt the network._ " The controller explained.

" Come on American! Storage is reinforced, this way!" Mako said.

" Let's hope that it wasn't turned into Swiss cheese." Milo stated.

The duo passed by the corpses of other dead specialists aboard the station who were killed by the comet's passing, racing to reach the storage capsule. When they reached the capsule, the station had exploded violently into pieces, but the duo were still alive...

" Ugh, Mako, you alright?" Milo said.

" Yeah, I'm good." Mako said.

" _COLOSSUS Control? Is there anybody left up there?"_ The controller said.

" Control, this is Williams, Mako and I are still here." Milo said.

" _Thank god, listen, the scuttling failed, the satellites are still firing._ " He explained.

 _"_ All right, we'll try to knock out the main satellite." Milo said.

" _Are you sure? That's gonna be a suicide mission._ " The controller said.

" We have no other choice, either we crash the satellite or lose everything." Milo exclaimed.

" _All right, good luck._ " The controller said.

" Come on Mako, we'll go dump that tub in the ocean." Milo said.

The two astronauts raced towards the largest satellite of the network, the central control node, with the hopes of ending this chaos before the entirety of the planet was wiped out. They ignited the RCS fuel lines at the cost of Milo's life, while Mako gave into despair as the kinetic rod satellites still fired while she, Milo's body, and the satellite fell into the atmosphere...

 **Meanwhile, back in New York state...**

Dante and Xavier were running towards Alexis Foster's house to see if she was alright, with Anna following them to make sure nothing bad happened. The neighborhood they were running through was in flames, buildings had sunken into the ground or were on fire because a gas line ignited inside or the fires were lit by hand.

" My god, it's getting worse." Anna said.

" Yes, it is." Xavier said.

" Come on, there's Alexis's house." Dante said as they turned the corner.

They raced up towards the house, in which they saw a kinetic rod impact nearby that sent a large column of fire upward. The kids raced inside the house, in which they found a panicking Alexis in the living room, hiding behind her couch.

" Alexis?" Dante said.

" Dante!" Alexis exclaimed as she ran up and hugged him.

" Glad you're safe, but we've got to go." Dante said.

" What the hell is going on? Why are earthquakes happening here?" Alexis said as the house violently shook.

" Short version, weaponized space satellites are firing on us." Xavier said.

The kids escaped the house before it started to violently collapse, only to witness a kinetic rod impact nearby, causing a quake that began to tear buildings apart and warp the roads severely. The kids raced across the collapsing territory, until an explosion sent a gas tanker flying towards the kids in which they raced to take cover, with Dante getting injured shielding Anna...

" _Dante! Come on, stay with me!"_ Anna said as Xavier and Alexis ran up.

" _We need to get him out of here!"_ Xavier said as he picked Dante up.

Dante blacked out for a bit, until he reopened his eyes when the kids were returning to the vehicles where Daniel and the others were waiting for them...

" _Get him the truck, hurry! You're gonna be alright son!"_ Daniel said to Dante.

They escaped Central square and Brewerton's destruction by escaping onto I95 and following the fleet of vehicles that were proceeding towards Syracuse and Cicero hoping to escape the chaos. Dante immediately began to ponder a question: WAS THIS REALLY GOING TO BE OUR LEGACY?

 **This begins _Gate: Burn the sky,_ a story centered in an alternate universe. In this story, The Gate opens up into a ruined, post-apocalyptic America following a devastating event in which the survivors have called " COLOSSUS Day" in which a U.N defense weapon known as COLOSSUS, which is based off ODIN from _Call of Duty: Ghosts,_ had laid waste to the countries of the world after a hidden protocol it had was accidentally kicked on when a passing comet damaged the station that operated the massive satellite network. The survivors are either residing in massive walled-off settlements while under the protection of paramilitary factions built from civilian volunteers and the remnants of world militaries, or reduced to maniacal raider clans that prey on the settlements because they believe themselves superior to everyone and the solution to rebuild the world. Xavier and Dante become members of the Ghosts, a faction commanded by Dante's father and built from remnants of the U.S army, air force, National Guard, and civilian conscripts into the forces. The next chapter is centered around the "Hell Year" that followed COLOSSUS Day, in which leads up to the boys being Ghosts and their lives in the settlement of Sanctuary, which is built in the ruins of Cicero-North Syracuse. The chapter will conclude with Daniel giving the boys assignment that will take them back to Brewerton...**

 **ENJOY THIS STORY AS IT UNFOLDS.**


	2. Chapter 2: Year in Hell

Chapter 2: Year in Hell

Cicero-North Syracuse Refugee encampment

6:01 pm

In the wake of the devastation caused by the COLOSSUS bombardment, millions of displaced people from the towns and cities flocked to refugee encampments that were established by the military outside large cities for medical access for the wounded and consolation for the terrified. But the Cicero-North Syracuse camp was overrun with refugees from both the devastated city of Syracuse and the towns north of the encampment, in which Daniel and his group were among the luckier ones when they were able to get inside the camp. Dante was unconscious in a medical tent after his injuries after the tanker incident, with Anna and Xavier by his side...

" Ugh, my head." Dante said.

" Dante?" Anna said, drying the tears in her eyes.

" Anna? Where are we?" Dante asked.

" We're in a refugee camp in Cicero-North Syracuse." Xavier explained.

" Cicero-North Syracuse?" Dante said.

" You were out cold for awhile, so let us fill in the blanks for ya. Central Square and Brewerton are gone." Xavier said.

" What?" Dante said in a surprised tone.

" We overheard some of the military guys talking, Central Square and Brewerton have been reduced to a crater-filled wasteland." Anna said.

" My god." Dante said in a shaken tone.

" It gets worse, the devastation is worldwide, entire cities in different countries have all been laid to waste by Kinetic bombardment." Xavier said.

" Kinetic bombardment?" Dante asked.

" That U.N weapon, COLOSSUS, it's what destroyed the world. It's completely devastated entire governments around the world, plunging the world into chaos." Xavier explained.

" Its already killed billions of people all over the world." Anna added.

" Do you think this going to get better?" Dante asked his friend.

" I'm sorry, Dante, I feel that were actually the first into hell." Xavier said.

( _Narration by Dante._ )

 **As it turned out, Xavier was right about things not getting better. The situation caused by COLOSSUS had deteriorated faster than anything that the military remnants had thought. Reports had come in that cities had been overrun by looters, who had eventually began to descend into raiding tribes that began to prey upon innocent people. Overtime, a lot of people began to flee both the town and the refugee camp to try and find family in other states, leaving the refugees and residents who stayed behind to take control of the settlement. My dad took control of the military forces that had stayed behind, which was a force of displaced air force operators who were forced to relocate when half of their base was sunken into a crater, National guardsmen who were keeping the camp secure, Army rangers who had just been recalled home from being overseas, and dozens of off-duty marines and ROTC recruits. The town eventually grew into a settlement which people had started to call "Sanctuary"...**

 _ **4 Months since COLOSSUS Day.**_

 **But life was never easy here...**

The settlement had been developing walls around the settlement so they could defend themselves from any hostile raider attacks. Xavier and Dante enlisted into a militia that had aided the military in fending off a massive attack by a group of raiders known as "Howlers". The Howlers were raiders made from looters that rioted in Syracuse, who decided to think that they were in fact the apex hunters. They had killed and raped their way across the chaotic New York state...

"Here they come!" A soldier screamed as the Howlers attacked the gate.

" Come on, let's go." Xavier said, signaling Dante to follow.

The boys were wearing tan uniforms combined with Kevlar armor attachments. Dante was carrying an MP5 that had a Red dot sight attached to it, while Xavier carried an M4A1 with an ACOG scope attachment to it. They raced to the wall where Daniel was trying to organize the resistance against the attacking howlers...

" Howlers again, Dad?" Dante said, shooting a suicide howler down.

" This is the 12th time that they are trying to take us out." Daniel said, firing at the howlers with his SCARL-H.

" They're just throwing themselves at us to try and break through." Xavier remarked.

Their firefight continued, with the militia starting to push the advancing Howlers back, until Desmond came up on Dante's radio...

" _Dante?_ " Desmond said over the radio.

" Desmond? What's up bro?" Dante said.

" _Are the bad guys gone?_ " Desmond asked, sounding scared.

" Desmond, are you okay?" Dante said starting to pick up what his brother was saying.

" _Dante, there's a bad man in our house._ " Desmond said.

Dante immediately sprang from his post and raced towards the house that Daniel had moved his family into since COLOSSUS Day, because he knew that his mom had fallen ill with a stomach bug and that she and Desmond were vulnerable. He kicked the front door open, finding a man with a wolf's pelt over his head, laughing manically as he chopped at the closet door with a bloodied machete, trying to get at Desmond since he was hiding inside.

" GET AWAY FROM MY BABY BROTHER, MOTHERFUCKER!" Dante screamed before firing.

He emptied an entire magazine into the Howler, who immediately fell backward with his machete clamoring to the floor. A terrified Desmond carefully exited the closet he was hiding in, holding his dad's berretta with a shaking hand, wearing only civilian clothes...

" Dante!" Desmond said as he set down the pistol carefully before running up to his brother.

" Desmond! ( _Hugging him_ ) shush, it's okay." Dante said, trying to calm his brother.

" When he... Please don't leave me alone again." Desmond said as tears streamed down his face.

" I won't, I promise." Dante said as he gently stroked his brother's hair.

" Mom, he went upstairs first before he tried to go after me." Desmond said as Xavier appeared in the doorway.

" Xav, look after him, I need to go check on my mom." Dante said as he handed Desmond off to Xavier.

" Sure." Xavier said.

Dante proceeded to race upstairs to check on his sickly mother, who resided in the adult's bedroom upstairs since she was confined to bed rest after she fell ill with a debilitating stomach bug that had spread around the settlement for a while. He turned the corner to see something that he feared, something that he wished wouldn't be true. He saw his mother lying motionless on the bed, right in the center of blood-soaked sheets. He collapsed to the floor in tears, knowing that the Howler had killed his mother before he tried to kill Desmond...

( _Narration by Dante._ )

 **I lost my mom that day, the day we had fended off the Howlers for the 12th time in a row. Sanctuary began to grow overtime, with parts of Syracuse itself being cleared out of animals and raiders, and a lot of scattered military cells began to see things our way, so they pledged whatever resources that they possessed to my dad's leadership. We pushed the Howlers out of our territory and into No Man's Land, a long stretch of land spanding a part of Northern New York all the way to San Diego, California. The place was called that because the terrain was only traversable by foot, it had the most craters that were created by COLOSSUS bombardment, and was home to some of the worst raider clans out there. Mine and Xavier's role in the militia grew, as I was promoted to First Lieutenant alongside Xavier by my dad for our efforts in the town's defense. I thought I had seen my share of atrocities committed in the world that COLOSSUS Day had created, but that was until I met the Radford family...**

 **8 months since COLOSSUS Day.**

Radford Family Estate, Texas

9:30 pm

The boys were sent to Texas to aid the Lawmen and the Rangers, a group of cowboys who immediately rallied and organized into effective fighters to keep some semblance of law and order in the settlements that had emerged in the ruins of the lone star state. They were brought to Texas via the Airmen, a group of freelance pilots who started an independent travel business running goods and people to the settlements that were all around the ruined United States. The reason that they were in Texas was that the Radford family had been discovered to have been committing a serious atrocity that the good people of the New York Militants would not stand for. The Radfords were discovered to have resulted to cannibalism in order to survive since the majority of their cattle were killed in the wake of COLOSSUS Day, even roping their farm hands into doing it as well. The Rangers and Lawmen requested aid in taking the Radford family down, so Daniel sent the boys and a team to Texas to help them out, but also hoping to cement an alliance between the militants and the forces down in Texas.

" You can't get away with this!" Howard, the patriarch of the family, said.

" Big words coming from a cannibal and a murderer." Daryl, the leading ranger said.

" We were doing what was necessary." Mary, the family matriarch said in defense of their practices.

Their argument was silenced by the sound of Dante shooting the last farmhand dead, then proceeding to holster his pistol. Xavier then faced the Radford leaders with his gun in hand...

" You and your family's practices are an abomination to the humanity that survives to this day. If we allow ourselves to lose who we are by becoming monsters, then its going to be people like the Militants, Rangers, and Lawmen who take up their roles in this world: as the people who stop the monsters." Xavier said.

" This world doesn't need heroes, it needs monsters willing to do anything to survive." Howard said.

" No, it doesn't." Xavier said before shooting Howard dead.

The rest of the family tried to gun Xavier down, but were instead gunned down by the Rangers and Lawmen. As the two groups cleaned up the mess that was left behind by the slaughter, Daryl walked over to the team to discuss something with them...

" Hey, thanks for helping us deal with them." Daryl said.

" Anytime, Commander Perez said you needed help, so we offered to come here." Xavier explained.

" Listen, Is it okay if I say something about you guys?" Daryl inquired.

" Speak your mind, sir." Dante said.

" You guys have got some serious major skills, plus the largest monopoly on salvaged military tech, but the name you give yourselves just doesn't fit." Daryl said.

" Hmm?" Dante said in a surprised tone.

" Care to explain?" Xavier asked.

" You are only 8 guys, yet you took down over 100 guys. That makes you guys almost appear...supernatural." Daryl said.

" Really?" Dante asked.

" Yeah, I think you guys should change your name from the Militants to the Ghosts." Steinbeck, the lawmen captain, said.

" You think we can be the Ghosts?" Xavier asked.

" Hell yes." Steinbeck said.

" Fuck yeah, man." Daryl said.

" We'll talk it over with my dad when we get back." Dante said.

( _Narration by Dante._ )

 **After that, we secured an alliance with both the Rangers and the Lawmen, but that night symbolized our rise as The Ghosts. Over the course of a few months, our soldiers donned skull-themed masks or mouth covers. Our group's elite donned black uniforms, forming special operations groups that took on the most important jobs for the people of Sanctuary. Each Ghost had their own unique name given to them as a result of actions that they had done or after a trait that they had. Xavier started to be called "Death-Hound" by the others because of a time where he bit a raider and lock jawed on his arm like a pit bull in which he accidentally killed him, while I was called "Half-Dead" due to the pain-receiving nerves on the right side of my body being completely dead. We each joined special units, Xavier joined The Eagles, the best sharpshooter unit in the Ghosts, I had joined The Silent Knights, a group of guys who were the most stealthy at clearing out an enemy encampment. My girlfriend, Anna, joined the Night Witches, a group of all female ghosts who masters at stealth and trained to be pilots as well. She was skilled with the controls of the standard issue Apache assault helicopter with her partner, Juliana. Things seemed perfect for the people of Sanctuary as they felt protected by the Ghosts, who had over hundreds of soldiers and the largest stockpile of military-grade weaponry...**

 _ **1 year after COLOSSUS Day.**_

 **But that was before the Gate appeared...**

Monday, March 24th, 2017

Abandoned theater

9:30 am

Following the " Hell Year" as those who managed to survive it, Sanctuary was now a prosperous settlement living in fair conditions as it had grown into almost a small city. The Ghosts had secured alliances with major factions that had emerged in the ashes of the U.S. The factions were the Drillers of the Gas Crater, The Rangers of Texas, The Lawmen of Dallas, The Airmen, The Think Tank out of the ruins of Massachusetts, Channel X out of Atlanta, The Shroudsmen of Boston, The Remnants of Washington D.C's city defenders, and The People of Santa Monica (Where a Ghost Chapter had been established), along with some individual factions in Nevada. They even managed to establish contact with the JSDF in the ruins of Japan, who had managed to create a settlement out of the ruins of Tokyo. Xavier and Dante were assigned to aid in the sweep and clear of an abandoned theater in Syracuse in order for it to be used.

" Hey." Xavier said as Dante started to wake up from a nap.

" Hey, you didn't disturb me?" Dante said as he got up.

" Nah, thought you could use the beauty sleep." Xavier remarked.

" Shut up." Dante said.

" Anyway, come on, we got a job to do." Xavier said.

Xavier readied his suppressed scoped M4A1 while Dante readied his suppressed MP5 for their assignment. They walked out onto a large stage where a ragged and worn down curtain covered it, then proceeded to contact the team that was aiding them on this assignment.

" _Siren 2-4 actual, this is Reaper 3-7, ready for housecleaning op._ " Xavier said into his radio.

" _Bout time you boys showed up, did Dante take a nap again?_ " Anna remarked on the other end.

" I did take a nap, and it was necessary." Dante argued.

" _Save your lover's quarrel for when we're back at base, right now we have a job to do. Breach and clear, regroup in the lobby in 10_ " Xavier said over the radio to Anna.

Xavier peeked around the curtain to see where the wolves were resting, finding them sound asleep in the ruined middle rows of the theater. They breached into the room by cutting through the curtain, firing on the wolves while Anna's team provided support. They killed a large number of them before picking off the rest outside the lobby doors, followed by regrouping with the others in the lobby of the theater.

" Another job well done, Anna." Xavier said.

" Come on, big guy, let's get back to the tombstone." Anna said.

" Patty, tip off Commander Perez that the theater's clear." Xavier told the female soldier in the driver's seat of the Humvee.

" Got it lieutenant." The female soldier said.

" I got security in the back." Dante said.

" I'll cover the other Humvee." Xavier said, hopping in the back of the other Humvee.

The group drove back to the Tombstone, the old CNS High school converted into a full-functioning military installation and a headquarters for the Ghosts. Over the course of the year, the Ghosts gained control of several standard issue tanks and helicopters that were given to them by the other military cells that pledged their allegiance to Daniel and the Ghosts. The Humvees pulled up to the entrance of the building, where the two teams exited the trucks, in which Anna and Dante approached one another...

" Hey babe." Anna said.

" Hey, sweetie." Dante responded as he kissed his girlfriend.

" Why do you always have to take naps before our jobs?" Anna asked quickly.

" Hey, it's because you have ways of keeping me up all night." Dante remarked.

" Dante! Let's go find your dad." Xavier said.

" I got to go." Dante said.

" Okay, see you tonight." Anna said, giving him a kiss.

Xavier and Dante proceeded inside to meet with Daniel, who was coordinating efforts with his lieutenants and field commanders. Daniel was wearing a black, short-sleeved shirt with camouflage pants and brown boots, talking with another officer about a report he had received...

" Dad." Dante said.

" Glad you boys are alright." Daniel said.

" You know what we call killing wild predators?" Xavier said.

" What?" Daniel added.

" Sport." He remarked.

" Hehe, not bad. Anyway, follow me." Daniel said, gesturing the two to follow him.

" What's up dad?" Dante asked as they walked into the hallway.

" I have another assignment for you boys if you are up for it." Daniel said as a soldier handed him some photographs.

" What is it, sir?" Xavier asked.

" Listen, it is pretty high risk, so if you don't want it, you can back down." Daniel said.

" Dad, whatever it is, we can handle it." Dante explained.

" All right, Last night, one of the spy satellites that was part of the network we had tapped into registered an unknown energy signature." Daniel started.

" Thinking a power source from an old substation?" Xavier asked.

" Not exactly, I'm sending you two as part of a five-person team into No Man's Land." Daniel said.

" What?" Dante said in a surprised tone.

" That's right, you are to investigate the source and the strange activity around it." Daniel explained.

" So where are we going?" Xavier asked.

" Simple, you're going back to Brewerton." Daniel said.

" The energy source is coming from Brewerton?" Dante said.

" Yeah, there's also another thing you are to do." Daniel said to his son.

" What is it?" Dante said.

" I want you two to find out what the hell that is and why there are people around it." Daniel said, pointing to the image.

Xavier and Dante looked to the photograph to see a pale white structure standing near the ruins of Brewerton Elementary, and it was surrounded by unknown individuals...

 **This chapter concludes with a suspenseful twist as the boys have just received orders from Dante's father to investigate the appearance of an unknown structure (the Gate) that has been surrounded by unknown individuals, in the ruins of the town of Brewerton. The Night Witches mentioned in Dante's Narration segment is a reference to the Sabaton song _Night Witches,_ and Xavier's corny joke that he had made was a little bit of humor. The next chapter picks up with the five-person team lead by the boys making their way through Brewerton's twisted paths towards the Gate, and what happens there you'll want to see...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	3. Chapter 3: Royal Contact

Chapter 3: Royal Contact

Brewerton, New York

10:10 am

The Five-Person team that the boys were a part of had recently arrived outside Brewerton via the abandoned I95 highway route. The team's members were Xavier, Dante, with Anna and two of Xavier's friends that contributed the five that made up the team. The first friend was Alleecia Williams who was called "The Siren" by the other Ghosts because when she isn't on an assignment and on her free time, she could make you do whatever she wanted with a wink and a smile. The other friend was Blaze Sackett, who was known to the Ghosts as the "Hell Razor", due to his brutal tactics of torture when it came to interrogating captive Raiders, plus when he is given possession of a blade, you wish you were in Hell.

" So, why are we in No Man's Land?" Alleecia asked.

" Gravekeeper has given us the task of investigating an unknown structure that appeared in the Brewerton Ruins just hours ago." Xavier said.

" How could a structure appear out nowhere?" Blaze asked.

" I don't know, but shortly after that, unknown individuals poured out of it and proceeded set up an encampment around the structure." Xavier explained.

" Where is this structure?" Alleecia said.

" Its near the ruins of the old Elementary school, the most dangerous place in all of No Man's Land." Dante said.

" Why is it dangerous?" Blaze said.

" I can answer that, the soil is displaced heavily there, meaning any structure that is set up there is most likely to sink into the ground." Alleecia said.

" I'm surprised that the structure we are looking for hasn't sunk into the ground yet." Xavier said.

" I'm honestly not surprised the people that came out it haven't sunk themselves either." Dante stated.

" Anyway, how far?" Blaze asked.

" Just up the road, let's move fast before any of the raider clans get the idea of hitting our target before we get there." Xavier said.

The team took off towards the school, passing by the ruins of multiple businesses along the way to their destination. When they passed by the school, they came face to face with a massive gate that was surrounded by a force of men in Roman-style armor being lead by a tall man with long blonde hair wearing a suit of armor alongside a red-haired girl with a pony tail wearing gold and white armor...

" Who the hell are these guys?" Dante said.

" Really late cosplayers?" Blaze figured.

" No." Xavier said.

" What do you mean?" Alleecia asked.

" Look at them, they organized like a military force. So they're not cosplayers." Xavier said.

" Yeah, plus looks like they're being lead members of some royal family." Alleecia said.

" How do you know that?" Dante asked.

" I know fashion, the headdress that the chick is wearing is usually worn by someone of royal birth, along with the guy's armor being elaborately designed." Alleecia explained.

" Wow, that actually explains a lot." Xavier said.

" Well, Royal or not, they are about to get the rude welcoming." Blaze said, pointing towards the side.

Xavier noticed that a group of howlers accumulating nearby the camp, planning to attack the other world visitors, something that the team wasn't gonna let happen...

" Guys, time to shake the tree." Xavier said.

" Roger that." The others said.

 **Meanwhile, at the Imperial Camp.**

" There is nothing here." Diabo said, scooping up a thing of dirt in his hands.

" Brother, you need to open your eyes to see what is here." Pinya, his sister, said.

" This place is a wasteland, inhabitants probably went to war with themselves and wiped themselves out." Diabo remarked.

" Shush." Pinya said as she listened to the environment.

Diabo went silent and listened into the environment like his sister was, starting to hear maniacal laughter approaching them very fast from the bushes. The Howlers sprang from the bushes and attacked, killing several members of the Imperial expedition. Pinya and the others fought them off, until a Howler that was about to attack Diabo was tackled to the ground by Dante, followed by the others being gunned down by the rest of the team...

" _Where did these warriors come from?_ " Pinya and Diabo thought.

A howler tried to flee to warn his clan about the Ghosts' involvement with the "invaders", when Xavier noticed that he was fleeing...

" Half-Dead, we have a runner." Xavier said.

" I got it." Dante said, drawing a pistol and shooting the howler in the head as he ran.

" Who are you?!" Diabo demanded with his sword raised.

" Calm down, boy, before you hurt yourself." Xavier said.

" Answer my brother's question! Who are you and what army are you with?" Pinya asked, adding to her brother's question.

" All right, but do you think I'll be able to do that when you are pointing those blades at me." Xavier said.

Pinya and Diabo lowered their swords and then proceeded to put them in their sheaths...

" Okay, I'm First Lieutenant Xavier Moore of The Ghosts, and these are my teammates." Xavier said.

" Ghosts?" Diabo said, sound a bit scared.

" Do let the name fool ya, we're just call that because we are able to do jobs that most people can't." Dante explained.

" But, you are children." Pinya said.

" The term we prefer is " Citizen Soldier"." Anna said.

" Are you like those assailants?" Diabo asked in a concerned tone.

" The Howlers? No, we are nothing like them." Dante said angrily.

Pinya noticed something was off when Dante gave an angry response to Diabo's question, so Xavier intervened by asking the visitors who they were...

" Anyway, who are you?" Xavier asked.

" I am Princess Pinya Co Lada, and this is my brother, Prince Diabo." Pinya said.

" Pleased to meet you both." Xavier said. " Listen, I've got to contact my superiors about something, so you can converse with my teammates if you wished." He added.

Pinya walked over to Alleecia and Anna, who were surveying the area for any signs of hostile activity...

" How you doing?" Alleecia asked.

" I am all right, it's kind of you to ask." Pinya said.

" Well, it's not every day that you suffer losses when investigating a strange new world." Anna said.

" Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm Alleecia and this is Anna." Alleecia said.

" Nice to meet you." Anna said.

" What is wrong with your compatriot when he responded upset to my brother's question?" Pinya asked.

" Don't mind my boyfriend, he hates the Howlers with a passion since Hell Year." Anna said.

" Hell Year?" Pinya asked.

" You'll learn about that when we get back to base." Alleecia said.

While Pinya conversed with the girls, Diabo decided to converse with Dante about his behavior...

" I'm sorry if I had offended you when I asked my question." Diabo said.

" None taken, I'm sorry that I snapped at you." Dante said.

" Let us start over, I am Diabo." Diabo said.

" I'm Dante." Dante responded.

" I've been meaning to ask, did something happen that caused you to be angry at my question?" Diabo asked.

" It's a personal reason." Dante responded.

" Okay." Xavier said as he turned towards the group.

" What's up?" Dante said.

" Gravekeeper gave us the okay to bring the prince and the princess to Sanctuary." Xavier said.

" Gravekeeper?" Diabo said.

" My Dad, Gravekeeper is his call sign." Dante explained to the confused prince.

" Call sign?" Pinya asked.

" We'll explain on the drive over." Xavier said, signaling the group to follow.

" _Drive?_ " Pinya thought.

" Come on guys, shake a leg." Xavier said.

The prince and princess instructed the other members of their expedition to stand vigilant while they were away meeting with the leader of the soldiers that had saved their lives. They proceeded along the ruined road until they reached the Humvee. Pinya and Diabo were amazed at the sight of the armored vehicle that did not require horses to pull it, which meant that it was truly another world that they were on.

" What is that?" Diabo said.

" It's our transportation." Xavier said, walking up to the Humvee.

" Where are the horses?" Pinya asked.

" You two are from a different world, aren't you?" Alleecia said.

" Yes, because we do not have vehicles like this where we come from." Pinya said.

" Well, you are about to receive an education in Earth 101." Anna stated.

They helped the two members of the Royal family into the truck, then Alleecia took the wheel with Xavier manning the turret, Blaze taking the passenger seat, which meant Dante and Anna sat in the way back. They drove along until they had reached the gates of Sanctuary, where Xavier immediately got in the radio...

" Gate Control, this is Humvee 35, we two VIPs that are set to meet with Gravekeeper today, so please open the gate." Xavier said.

" _Relax, Hound, Gravekeeper tipped us off that you were on your way back, opening the gate now._ " The gate operator said.

Pinya and Diabo looked to see the metal gates of Sanctuary opening, only to be startled by the sound of Apaches flying overhead. They were amazed that the people of this world had wielded technology that was more advanced than anything that she and her brother had seen before. They drove through the settlement, passing by trading stores, soldiers on patrol, all the way until they reached the Tombstone, in which Pinya and Diabo saw Ghosts undergoing vigorous training exercises, such as shooting practice and team coordination...

" Are all your soldiers mages?" Pinya asked.

" No, that what you're seeing is the use of rifles." Dante said.

" Rifles?" Pinya said.

" Yeah, the simple science of it is that the rifle fires a bullet tens faster than the average man." Anna explained.

" How does that work?" Pinya inquired.

" Let me show you." Anna started, pulling a bullet from a spare magazine she had to show Pinya. " The long cylinder houses gunpowder, which is very explosive, and that propels the bullet at the top with great speed out the barrel." She explained.

" The size of the magazine is how you know how many bullets your gun can carry." Dante said, just as an Abrahams tank passed by them.

Pinya and Diabo were startled by the sound of the massive tank passing by their vehicle, in which thoughts filled the sibling's minds, thoughts that if they went to war with these people, the empire would face annihilation at the hands of this force from another world. The Humvee pulled up to the front of the building, in which Dante noticed his father exiting the building wearing a formal officer's uniform while the Humvee was parked and the group stepped.

" Princess Pinya, Prince Diabo, allow me to introduce you to Commander Daniel Perez, leader of the Ghosts." Xavier said.

" Welcome to Sanctuary." Daniel said.

" Yes, I'm surprised that this place is operational." Pinya said.

" The Human spirit is built to endure, and so we rose from the ashes and began to build our settlement." Daniel said.

" Sister, I'm thinking about looking around this place." Diabo said.

" I'll have one of my guys go with you so there isn't any trouble. Xavier, why don't you and the team go get some rest." Daniel said.

" Sure." Xavier said.

While Xavier and the others took off, Pinya joined Daniel inside the building to discuss things while Diabo ventured around the fort to learn about this world. The duo entered the old teacher's lounge, where a young girl with red hair was making coffee.

" Hey, Kendra." Daniel said.

" Hello, Commander, the usual?" Kendra asked.

" Sure, do you want some coffee?" Daniel said to Pinya.

" Sure." Pinya said, which meant she was willing to try it.

They sat down on two separate couches, while Kendra came over and set down a tray with a pot of coffee, two cups, a couple of creamers, and some baked goodies onto the coffee table that sat between them. Daniel poured himself a cup of coffee, add two creamers, then took a sip. Pinya poured herself a cup of coffee, added a creamer, then took a sip, but reacted when she realized it was still hot.

" Careful, don't want to burn your tongue off." Daniel remarked.

" Yes, that wouldn't be good." Pinya said.

" So, I'm sure you have questions." Daniel said as he relaxed.

" Yes, I do." Pinya said.

" Then I shall try to answer them to the best of my ability." Daniel stated.

" What is this COLOSSUS Day that your soldiers speak of?" Pinya asked.

" ( _Sigh_ ) A lot of us tried to forget about that day." Daniel started. " COLOSSUS Day was when our world came crashing down violently, when a weapon system we had built originally meant to combat developing threats worldwide had turned towards us." He explained. " COLOSSUS Day earned its name from COLOSSUS, an orbital satellite weapons program that was developed by the United Nations to combat developing threats anywhere." He said.

" Orbital?" Pinya asked.

" It means that the weapons were placed in the vast void of space, along with a station that would control them." Daniel explained.

" But what happened if they were far beyond the reach of your enemies?" Pinya asked.

" A fast-moving comet tore up the station, accidentally activating a subroutine that caused the satellites to fire at randomly selected locations worldwide." Daniel explained.

" My god." Pinya said in a shocked tone.

" Thanks to COLOSSUS, entire political structures worldwide were annihilated, causing the nations to descend into chaos." Daniel said. " I organized the Ghosts out of the ashes of the U.S Military, and overtime took in civilian volunteers who were willing to take up a gun and fight." He added.

" I see." Pinya said, noticing a photo of Daniel and two boys in his hands.

" Oh, that just me and my boys." Daniel said.

" Where are they now?" Pinya asked.

" My youngest son, Desmond, helps the farmers with growing the crops while my oldest, Dante, is actually a member of the Ghosts." Daniel explained.

" Dante? He was a member of the squad that rescued my brother and I." Pinya said.

" I know, I sent him on that job. The other Ghosts have taken up the habit of calling him the Half-Dead since the incident." Daniel said.

" Incident?" Pinya asked.

" On COLOSSUS Day, he got injured after rescuing a friend of his from her house just moments before a kinetic rod destroyed it." Daniel explained.

While Pinya conversed with Daniel, Diabo was about to learn something new about the Ghosts...

Tombstone Mortuary

10:30 am

Diabo wandered the grounds of the Ghost Headquarters, accompanied by the Ghost that was known as Reaver. He saw how advanced the weapons that the Ghosts carried into battle were, even learning that the Ghosts had maintained contact with ships of the U.S Navy that had survived the devastation created by COLOSSUS Day and that those ships were lead by a ship that was called _Valkyrie._ He noticed a large building across the street from the Tombstone and went inside, which he learned it was a mortuary as he witnessed a blonde haired woman tending to a dead body by wrapping it in cloth...

" Um, Hello." Diabo said.

" Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." The woman said.

" What are you doing?" Diabo asked, sounding curious.

" Just prepping this ghost for his funeral." The woman responded.

" He died?" Diabo said.

" Yeah, I'm Saundra by the way." She said as she readied some black paint.

" Diabo. What are you getting ready to do?" He responded, shaking her hand.

" One tradition that the ghosts have is that after they are wrapped in cloth, they are marked with three symbols that show three achievements that they accomplished in their lives." Saundra said, painting a basketball, a medal, and a speaker covered in spikes.

" What do these symbols mean?" Diabo asked.

" The symbols are the Civilian Achievement, The Warrior Achievement, and the Ghost Achievement." Saundra started. " He played sports in school and lead his team to victory every time, He saved over hundreds of civilians from a terrorist bombing, while the Ghost Achievement was that he had risked his life to save an innocent merchant from raiders." She explained.

" So he died from the wounds he had received from that achievement?" Diabo asked.

" Yes." Saundra said, placing a hunting rifle with a long suppressor on it in the cloth wrapped hands.

" What are you doing now?" Diabo asked.

" One last detail is that when a Ghost dies and after the previous two preparations, he is buried with his most prized weapon hand, so he can join his fallen brothers and sisters in the shadows the Ghosts hide in, being a vigilant guardian for his still-living brothers and sisters." Saundra explained.

" That's a powerful belief that the Ghosts follow." Diabo said.

" Well, it's kept themselves alive for so long, knowing that their comrades that they had lost had never abandoned their side." Saundra said.

Diabo concluded his conversation with Saundra, then proceeded to regroup with Pinya back at the Tombstone to discuss what they had just learned about the soldiers that they had recently made contact with...

" How went your meeting with Commander Perez?" Diabo asked his sister.

" He told me about this COLOSSUS Day that they had suffered." Pinya said.

" What is it?" Diabo asked.

" It was when a weapon that they had created reigned fire down upon them, destroying the political structures that had organized the nations of this world." Pinya explained.

" So without an organized government system, this world fell apart." Diabo said.

" Yes, he also told me the reason that soldier, Dante, was angered by the question you had asked." Pinya said.

" Why was he mad?" Diabo said.

" A Howler killed his mother over a year ago when she was vulnerable." Pinya explained.

"Oh." Diabo said, realizing that he had stepped over a line when he asked that question.

"Anyway, what did you learn?" Pinya asked.

" I learned that the ghosts have a certain way when it comes to their dead." Diabo said.

" Really?" Pinya said with a surprised tone.

" Yes, they give their fallen warriors a funeral befitting a warrior." Diabo said.

Pinya listened in as her brother explained the preparations that are required for a funeral for a fallen Ghost, in which left her speechless. She admitted to her brother that she had developed sympathy towards the beleaguered people of Sanctuary as they had barely survived the destruction of their world. Diabo said that he had developed a form of respect for them as even though they had their world destroyed, they endured and had remerged from the ashes of their now-chaotic world to begin again.

" Do you wanna know something?" Diabo asked his sister.

" Was is it?" She said.

" I'm glad that you chose me to accompany you on this expedition instead of Zolzal" Diabo said.

" I agree, he would have used the raider attack as an excuse to incite a war with the people of this world." Pinya said.

" A war that the Empire would lose to these people as we have both seen the weaponry that they possess." Diabo stated.

" Another reason we would lose is that this world is familiar to them, so they could easily find routes to pick off our soldiers before they even got near this place." Pinya said.

They concluded their conversation, then proceed to request to return to the Gate and their expedition force in order to report their findings to their senate, so Daniel allowed Xavier and Dante's team to escort them back to the Gate.

Brewerton Ruins.

The group was proceeding along a ruined and twisted path since the land was forced upward by COLOSSUS towards the Gate, conversing with each other along the way...

" So, sorry that you couldn't see the world a little better." Dante said.

" It's alright, you were kind enough to save our lives when we first arrived." Pinya responded.

" So what do you plan to do when you return to your world?" Alleecia asked.

" We'll report our findings to our father, in which he'll decide what happens next." Diabo explained.

But while they walked along, Pinya began to hear the sound of an infant crying nearby and noticed a stroller that was in rough shape and left unattended so she walked up to see if there was an actual baby inside the stroller, when Dante realized that he knew that wasn't a baby inside the stroller...

" GET BACK!" Dante screamed, dragging Pinya to the ground.

The stroller exploded, violently sending bits of shrapnel everywhere towards the group, but nobody was injured as they all ducked down before the shards could hit them. When they started getting up, they immediately heard the sound of motors being revved...

" What is that?" Pinya asked, sound scared.

" Speak of the devil." Xavier said.

" Do you know what that sound is?" Diabo said.

" Yes, both Dante and I know." Xavier said, cocking his rifle.

" What is coming?" Pinya asked Dante.

" RIDERS." Dante said angrily readying his gun.

 **This chapter concludes with the preparation for a battle against the blood riders, a group of raiders made from a group of well-known dirt biker groups that descended into madness after COLOSSUS day. Pinya and Diabo have developed their own individual views on how they see the civilized people of the devastated Earth, with Pinya sympathizing towards the beaten people of the world as their world had fallen, while her brother Diabo respects them for enduring and restarting since their world had fallen. The next chapter picks up with that fight and its conclusion, then proceeds to Pinya and Diabo's return to the capital to speak to their father, only to be interrupted when their arrogant brother interjects...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	4. Chapter 4: Parental Meeting

Chapter 4: Parental Meeting

 **Warning: For the first part of this chapter, reader discretion is advised.**

Brewerton Ruins, New York

10:59 am

The team immediately got into a combat stance, moving up Diabo and Pinya to a high place in the ruins of an old building so they be out of the way of the fighting. The blood riders surged over the hill, riding their dirt bikes with great speed, laughing manically along the way. They noticed the team and charged them, in which the team opened fire starting the fight...

" Blaze, got two heading for the prince and the princess!" Xavier shouted, pointing out two blood riders.

" I'll get them!" Blaze said, shooting the two riders dead.

The riders pressed their attack, but then the smoke cleared, the team still had all five members while the blood riders had suffered heavy losses. Pinya and Diabo began to believe that the team was supernatural as a team of five just took down a hostile force of 20 mobile raiders. Diabo stood over one of the blood rider's bikes, which was completely coated in red blood and covered in forged iron spikes, in which he didn't notice Xavier walking up...

" Now you've met another raider faction." Xavier said.

" What are these Iron beasts that they ride?" Diabo asked.

" This is called a dirt bike. People would use it to ride across harsh terrain that seems to tough to traverse on foot." Xavier explained.

" How did these raiders get their mounts so red?" Diabo said.

" After they kill their victims, they drain them dry of their blood and use it to paint their vehicles." Xavier said.

" That's...barbaric!" Diabo said in disgust.

" Why do you think we kill them?" Xavier pointed out. " But something seems off..." He added.

" What is it?" Diabo said as Xavier went to the satchel that had lain on the side of the bike.

" I saw something glimmering inside one of these." Xavier said, reaching around inside the satchel.

A look of shock overcame Diabo's face when Xavier pulled out of the satchel had been a bloodied bracer that had an imperial emblem on it, which both of them had knew what that had meant: the Riders had just hit the rest of the expedition before they crossed paths with the team.

" HAUL ASS!" Xavier shouted to the team.

" What's the rush?" Dante asked.

" That's the rush." Xavier said, tossing him the bracer.

" MOVE!" Dante shouted.

The team and the royal family raced across harsh terrain back to the gate, but came across a sight that would make the stomach of anyone who wasn't a hardened warrior turn. They saw the bodies of every soldier that had accompanied the prince and princess across the gate strung up on large metal poles, with little amounts of blood slowly trickling down the poles and into the Earth. Pinya was horrified while Diabo was visibly shaken by the sight, but the Ghosts that had accompanied them were unaffected by the sight, keeping their warrior's composure.

" My god." Diabo said.

" This is the kind of atrocities that the raider factions in this world commit." Xavier said.

" But, how are you not disturbed by this?" Pinya demanded.

" Because this isn't the first time we had seen a crime like this committed." Dante explained.

" Gravekeeper actual, this is Recon 3-6, come in over." Xavier said into his radio.

" _Copy that Recon, this is Gravekeeper, what's the situation?_ " Daniel asked.

" Imperial Expedition force is K.I.A, I repeat, I.E.F has all been killed." Xavier said.

" _Goddammit, have you identified the attackers?_ " Daniel asked.

" It was a Blood Rider raiding force, Gravekeeper, they are also K.I.A after they crossed paths with us." Xavier said as the rest of the team started to cut down the dead bodies.

" _Understood hound._ " Daniel said as Pinya came over to Xavier and tapped him on the shoulder.

" Yes, your highness?" Xavier said.

" Can give me and Anna a hand in collecting some things to return to their families?" Pinya asked.

" Of course." Xavier said.

Xavier joined the girls in collecting an assortment of lucky charms, wedding bands, and other items that had belonged to the fallen imperial soldiers. Pinya and Diabo ventured back across the gate after Xavier gave Pinya a ledger containing information about their world's current state and what it was before for her father and telling her something, and the two were greeted by a military force that was sent to defend the gate in case hostiles from the civilization on the other side.

Imperial Palace

11:10 am

Pinya and Diabo were meeting with their father, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus, to discuss the results of the expedition to the world that had lain on the other side of the Gate when it had opened. They met in the throne room alongside Marquess Casel, an influential member of the Imperial Senate. Pinya held the ledger close until her father would request it...

" Diabo, Pinya, how went your expedition through the Gate?" Molt asked.

" We had learned that the world on the other side has been devastated by an event that the survivors of it call COLOSSUS Day." Diabo said.

" It earned its name from a weapon that they had called COLOSSUS." Pinya added.

" COLOSSUS?" Casel said.

" The information about COLOSSUS is in this ledger that a member from a civilized faction we encountered." Pinya said, handing the Marquess the ledger Xavier gave her.

" Civilized faction?" Molt asked.

" As a result of COLOSSUS Day, the humans that live in that world are divided. There are those who retained their civility, and those who have formed degenerate raider tribes." Pinya explained.

" The Civilized Folk live in massive, walled off, protected settlements while the raider tribes roam across the land." Diabo added.

" I see." Molt said.

" What is this faction? Ghosts?" Casel asked.

" That is just their name, Senator Casel." Diabo said.

" The Ghosts are built from the remnants of one nation's military forces. They protect the people of Sanctuary, and they saved us when the expeditionary force fell under siege by members of a raider tribe." Pinya added.

"So they watch over the people of this settlement?" Casel asked.

"Yes, they also have a reputation that causes many to percive them as supernatural." Diabo said.

"What made them receive this reputation?" Molt asked.

"They have feats that many would have deemed impossible, and we have seen what these people are capable of."Pinya said to her father.

"We witnessed a team of five of their soldiers save us both from a raiding force of over 20 men." Diabo said.

"How many of these raiders did they kill?" Casel asked.

"All of them." Pinya said in a cold tone.

Casel was rendered speechless by what was just told to him, five soldiers were able to wipe out a raiding force of over 20 men by themselves. Even Molt himself was actually impressed by what these Ghosts could do.

"Who is Daniel Perez, by the way?" Casel asked.

"He is the current leader of the Ghosts and a father to two sons." Pinya said before the throne room doors exploded open.

The group turned around to Zolzal, Pinya and Diabo's older brother, storming into the room with anger. Diabo immediately remembered that a lot of members of the expedition were close friends of his, which meant that his anger was caused by the discovery of their deaths.

"Zolzal, what brings you here?"Molt asked.

"Father, what the hell happened to their expedition?" Zolzal demanded, pointing to Pinya and Diabo.

"We were attacked by raiders from that world." Diabo stated.

"Is that all that lives there? Brutes and Barbarians?!" Zolzal exclaimed.

"Not all of them are like that, brother!" Pinya said.

"We were rescued by inhabitants from that world that retained their civility."Diabo added.

"I find that hard to believe." Zolzal said.

"It's true, brother." Pinya said, defending the Ghosts.

"They have survived a calamity that had laid waste to their world." Diabo explained.

"They fight to survive every day in their world since the calamity." Pinya added.

"I don't care, the blood of my friends has soaked their soil, they deserve to suffer for it." Zolzal said angrily.

"You can't punish all them for the actions of a few!" Pinya exclaimed.

"ENOUGH!" Molt exclaimed.

Pinya and Zolzal immediately went silent at their father's command, as he appeared to have come up with an idea that peaked the curiosity of the princess and her squabbling brothers as she noticed that he was now holding the ledger...

"Father?" Pinya said.

"The raiders that massacred the expedition are the ones who deserve punishment, but the knowledge in this ledger shows that we are ill-equipped to fight them." Molt started.

"So what are you suggesting, your highness?" Casel asked.

"A test of strength, if the Ghosts eradicate these Blood Riders and Howlers from existence, we will invite a representative from their world to visit ours." Molt said.

"Father, we can't invite the enemy here."Zolzal said.

"We are not at war, Zolzal, if they were our enemy, they would have killed your siblings and the expedition instead of saving them." Molt explained. "Pinya, do you know of way for us to reach them." He asked.

"Yes, one of the Ghosts who had saved us, a young man named Xavier, told me that the Ghosts will be keeping a close eye on the Gate from now on. We can have a messenger make contact with one of their patrols that are observing the Gate." Pinya explained.

"Excellent, have a messenger be dispatched this evening to meet with these Ghosts." Molt told a servant.

"Yes, your highness." The servant said before leaving.

"Father, you're about to make a mistake."Zolzal said.

"That's enough, Zolzal, return to your estate until request you." Molt ordered.

Zolzal angrily stormed out of the room, furious at his father and siblings for willing to converse with these foreign outsiders that do not follow Imperial laws and customs. Anyone who did not do this was immediately declared the enemy by his standards and deserved to be destroyed or enslaved by the empire. He met up with his slave Tyuule, the former queen of a warrior bunny tribe, upon his return to his massive estate.

"What bothers you, Zolzal-Sama?"Tyuule asked.

"My father wants to converse with these outsiders that live on the other side of the Gate." Zolzal said with an annoyed tone.

"What makes you think that?" Tyuule asked.

"Pinya and Diabo believe that are survivors of a calamity that devastated their world, I say that they are pulling the wool over their eyes." Zolzal said.

"What do you intend to do?" Tyuule asked.

"I will think of a way to make sure there is no peace between us both." Zolzal said.

Thus began Zolzal's sinister plans to destroy any attempts at peace between The Empire and the inhabitants of the world beyond the Gate...

Outside the Gate, Brewerton Ruins

11:30 am.

After the meeting with Pinya, Daniel organized shifts for squads and units to keep a close observation on the massive Gate so raiders couldn't make their way across and start trouble on the other side. The current squad on the scene was Hatchet Squad, which was commanded by Juliana "Firestorm" Godici, who was in fact an old friend of Xavier's plus a senior officer in the Night Witches. Those that made up the squad were Taylor "Wild Hunt" House, Nick "Scarecrow" Naum, Ricky "Ricochet" Howley, and Nicole "Sally" Holdsworth (she is called that because it was an old karate nickname) and they took up observation from a ruined classroom that was in the ruins of the elementary school, keeping a vigilant watch on the Gate.

"Anything?" Juliana asked Ricky.

"Nothing, Gate's been quiet."He responded.

"Alright. Let me know if there's any change." Juliana said.

She left Ricky's side and went over and sat down next to Nicole, who was standing guard at a doorway to watch their rear in case hostile raiders would try and sneak up on their rear.

"Hey, how's it been?" Juliana asked her.

"All quiet, raiders are not stupid enough to hit us in the open like this, they know we're dangerous." Nicole said.

"That's because they know that you're here Sally." Juliana said in a joking tone.

" Heh, that's true." Nicole responded.

"Jules, we got somebody coming out of the Gate." Ricky said.

Juliana hurried over to Ricky at the window to see a lone armored soldier coming out of the Gate, so Ricky whistled to him so he would know where they were. The soldier was carrying a satchel slung over his shoulder, in which Ricky decided to ask him about the reason he was here...

"Buddy, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I carry a message from Emperor Molt Sol Augustus for your superiors."The Soldier said as Juliana approached.

"Really?" Juliana said.

"Yes, it is imperative that I get to Sanctuary immediately." He said.

"Nick, how far out is Zeta Squad?" Juliana asked Nick, since he was the team's communications officer.

" 10 minutes out before they get here for their shift." Nick responded.

"Sir, you can wait here with us until the next squad gets here for their shift and we'll take you Sanctuary with us." Juliana said.

"Okay" The messenger said.

10 minutes later...

The Tombstone Briefing Room, Sanctuary

11:40 am

Juliana kept her word and took the messenger back with her and her teammates to The Tombstone to meet with Commander Perez, who met with the messenger in the briefing room...

"I heard from Lance Captain Godici that you have a message for me." Daniel said.

"Yes, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus is offering the people of this world the chance to send a selected envoy group to the other side of the Gate and visit the heart of the empire, but a task must be accomplished first." The messenger said.

"The Howlers and The Blood Riders." Daniel said.

"Yes, send proof of their destruction along with the selected envoys." The messenger said.

"All right. Tell your superiors that we shall make preparations." Daniel said.

Daniel turned to his right hand man and second in command Alan Fisher as The messenger left the room to be escorted back to the Gate...

"Lieutenant Fisher." Daniel said.

"Yes, Commander?" He said.

"Inform the unit leaders that we're going to be meeting a few hours, we have an operation to plan." Daniel ordered.

"Yes sir." Fisher responded.

3:01pm

Tombstone Briefing Room

Daniel stood in front of a large map table while the leaders of the major units stood adjacent of them. The major units were The Eagles led by Veteran Army Sharpshooter Darryl Lynch, The Silent Knights led by Special Forces Veteran Raymond Hall, The Night Witches led by Air Commander Arielle Wheeler, The Hammer-Down Legion(Artillery Operators) led by 501st Airborne Ranger Veteran Darrell Winter, and The Hell-Born Riders led by Ex-Israeli Special forces member Alia Apel.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you are aware of the Gate that has appeared in Brewerton, something has come to my attention." Daniel started.

"What is it, sir?" Darryl asked.

"There is a civilization on the other side that is willing to converse with us, if we do a simple task for them." Daniel explained.

"Really? What task do they have for us?" Darryl asked.

"Their expedition force that came here was massacred, so they wanted us to wipe out their killers." Daniel said.

"Who are their killers?" Raymond asked.

"The Howlers and The Blood Riders." Daniel explained.

"Now that's a cause that I can get behind." Darryl said.

"That's why I am designating this as Operation Iron Dragon." Daniel said.

"So what is the plan for the job?" Raymond asked.

" Selected teams will kill several members of each raiding tribe, then place these banners at each attack site." Daniel explained.

" That'll start a blood war between the two of them." Arielle said.

"Exactly, that will drive them to the one place that has been a war zone for quite some time now." Daniel explained.

" The Camillus Crater." Alia said.

"The one place that is the most difficult to escape from in No Man's land." Darrell stated.

"When the two sides take up position in the crater, Night Witches will cut off escape routes, Eagles will eliminate any scouts that will try to find a way out of there, while Hammer-Down Legion takes out the two factions." Daniel explained.

"So that means the Hell-Born Riders will drive them into war." Alia said.

"No, selected operatives from each group will handle it, Hell-Born Riders will just be the ones to make up the numbers for the attack on the Howlers." Daniel explained.

"Gotta make it look convincing since you guys know how to ride Dirt Bikes." Darryl said.

"So are we all in agreement?" Daniel asked.

"Sir, yes sir!" The leaders exclaimed.

 **This concludes Chapter 4, with the Ghosts preparing to launch Operation Iron Dragon, which will end with the eradication of the Howlers and The Blood Riders. But this also signifies the start of Zolzal's sinister plans to ignite a war between the Ghosts and The Empire as he believes that the Empire will win due to the Ghosts being weakened by COLOSSUS Day. But through out the progression of the story, you will see that the people of Earth have never been more stronger ever since COLOSSUS Day had occurred. The chapter starts off with the launch of Operation Iron Dragon, The arrival of the envoy group from Earth, and an attempt by Zolzal to spark a war, and a secret will be revealed...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	5. Chapter 5: Diplomacy and Blades

Chapter 5: Diplomacy and Blades

Mexico High school

5:40 pm

Since COLOSSUS Day, The Howlers took control of the abandoned Mexico high school and converted it into their largest encampment in the region. Their banner was that of a White wolf on a crimson fabric that was torn and tagged. Tents had lined the outside of the building, as the building itself was abandoned and randsacked by the Howlers as they saw structures of the past as abominations that should have fallen with COLOSSUS Day. Xavier and a team of Ghosts that members of both the Eagles and Silent Knights stood ready to proceed with their part in the operation...

"Thunderbolt, this is Kingpin, we're in position and ready to proceed." Xavier said into his radio.

" _Copy that Kingpin, Sierra is at their position on the west perimeter."_ Dante said over the radio.

"Copy that. Awaiting go signal now." Xavier said.

The go ahead signal came in the form of a whistling sound that was heard over the radio, letting all of the Ghost teams that Operation Iron Dragon was a go. The teams swept through each of the tents in the area, killing several Howlers and placing the banner of the Blood Riders, a black gear coated in blood on a white background, in front of the tents that were filled with the corpses of the Howlers to by the Alpha male of the Howlers to find.

"The Driver and his tribe will pay in blood for their crimes against the Howlers!" The Alpha proclaimed in anger.

Xavier radioed in that phase one of the operation is a success, in the second group successfully framed the Howlers of attacking the Blood Riders at their stronghold that was housed in a scrapyard near Camillus. Both Raiding tribes began marshalling for war, ralliers beat the war drums to motivate the raiders to fight, howlers sharpened their blades and donned their war paint and cowls, then marched towards the Camillus Crater with artificial bridges in tow. The Blood Riders rallied under a vengeful banner and rode off to the crater to do battle with the killers of their people.

Camillus Crater

6:00pm

The Howlers and The Blood Riders went down their artificial bridges to confront each other for the attacks on their people, ready to kill each other for revenge. But as the two sides approached towards a large landing near the bottom of the crater, Hammer-Down Legion Artillery cannons took positions on a hilltop that had a clear view of the landing, in which Daniel and an Imperial officer sent by Molt to oversee the escort of the selected envoys from Earth to the capital after the task was completed.

"Why aren't your soldiers attacking?" The officer asked.

"Because one rule from the art of war is to attack your enemies in a manner that they would not expect." Daniel explained.

"So how can you fight them from here?" The officer asked.

"That's what those are for." Daniel said, pointing to the cannons.

The two Raider armies confronted each other on a landing ready to fight each other to avenge their fallen brothers. The Driver and The Alpha confronted each other at the heads of their soldiers...

"You will pay for murdering my people!" The Alpha proclaimed.

"How dare you slander the name of my tribe!" The Driver proclaimed in anger.

But as the tribes prepared to fight, two apache helicopters emerged and opened fire on the artificial bridges, completely destroying them, much to both of the raider groups dismay.

"I should have suspected this." The Driver said.

"What are you suggesting?" The Alpha demanded.

"We are both fools, this is a ploy set up by the Ghosts! " The Driver exclaimed.

"Cannon teams, fire at will!" Daniel exclaimed into a radio.

The enormous cannons fired with a booming sound that was so loud that the officer had covered his ears. The shells flew with tremendous speed towards the two sides, completely obliterating the bulk of the raiders present on the landing. Daniel picked up his radio and contacted Xavier...

"Kingpin, you're clear to engage." Daniel said.

" _Copy that, Gravekeeper, all snipers, you're clear to engage any survivors that crawl out."_ Xavier said over the radio.

The imperial officer was speechless at the efficiency and ruthlessness of the Ghosts when it came towards the eradication of the Howlers and The Blood Riders. Daniel turned to him as he was observing the Ghost snipers and Artillery operators completely destroying the Howlers and The Blood Riders and said...

"We'll have the envoy group ready in 30 minutes outside the Gate. I'll be sending Phantom Squad with them as extra security if you don't mind." Daniel said.

"Of course." The officer said in a non-arguemental tone.

Outside the Gate

6:01pm

The envoys and Phantom Squad met up with the officer and his escort, transported by a humvee and a LAV that would be extra firepower. Daniel was talking to Dante before his son had ventured across the Gate...

"Pinya managed to get us clearance to establish an F.O.B outside the Gate on their side, so I'll be sending Ashton with a task force over to set it up." Daniel explained to his son.

"Got it, she convinced her dad to allow the envoy group to stay at the palace, and I'll send you a copy of the meeting schedule between the envoys and The lords of the vassal states." Dante said.

"The envoys are going to be meeting with the lords of the vassal states?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, Emperor Molt doesn't want the vassal states getting the wrong idea. He's also got a few volunteers to learn english so they be our translators." Dante explained to his father.

" I see, Cuomo and Shepard will feel right at home." Daniel remarked.

"Xavier's uncle and Blaze's dad are accompanying us to take notes." Dante mentioned.

"Keep those banners close until you reach the capital." Daniel said.

"Got it, We'll keep in radio contact with Ashton when he sets the camp up." Dante said before heading to the truck.

The trucks had started up and proceeded to follow the officer through the Gate, while Daniel proceeded back to the Tombstone to organize a task force to send through the Gate when the time comes. Traveling through the Gate, the envoy group consisted of Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York State, Aiden Shepard, a former county legislator for Cayuga, Christopher Sackett, Blaze's dad, Jonathan Conover, one of Xavier's surviving relatives, and Mikayla Baker, one of Xavier's friends.

"Driving through the Gate feels like we're driving through space." Shepard said.

"Well, we're going to another world, so don't be surprised that we're crossing through some kind of dimensional void." Anthony, one of the squad members, said.

"Where is the guy on the horse leading us?" Cuomo asked.

" To the capital of an empire that is willing to talk to us." Xavier explained.

The trucks and horseback riding imperial soldiers were nearing the other side of the Gate, seeing a bright light that had amazed the group until they exited into a whole new world. The sun beat down onto them, like the world they once had before the devastation of COLOSSUS Day ruined it.

"The banners still good?" Xavier asked.

"Yep." Mikayla said.

The group proceeded to the Capital, was a thriving and prosperous city in the central heartlands of the "Special Region" as Ghost leadership designated the territory on the other side of the Gate. They proceeded to the palace, which was located at the top of a small mountain on the plains alongside the Senate building with several structures belonging to members of the nobility. They arrived at the palace and were greeted by Pinya and a group of guards...

"Greetings, princess." Xavier said.

"Xavier-dono, I'm surprised that you brought a large group over with you." Pinya said.

"My team is just extra security for the group, the real envoy group is about to step out." Xavier said as the envoys exited the truck.

The envoy group slowly exited the truck, carrying with them the bloodied banners of the obliterated Howler and Blood Rider raider tribes in their hands.

"We've brought proof of the Howlers and The Blood Riders eradication." Xavier said.

"Good, my father has been anticipating your arrival." Pinya said.

Pinya led the group inside, without knowing that Zolzal was watching from a distance giving a look of distrust to the visitors...

"Father, when this is over, I shall be hailed as a hero of the empire." Zolzal said to himself.

 _Later that evening..._

Imperial Palace Dining room

8:00pm

Emperor Molt treated his guests to a nice meal so he could get to know his visitors, in which the guests ate the food with courtesy since they were meeting an individual of a high-ranking status and of noble birth.

"So, Mister Cuomo, what did you used to do before COLOSSUS Day befell your world?" Pinya asked.

" I was the governor of New York State before COLOSSUS Day happened." Cuomo explained.

" You were a leader before your world was devastated." Diabo said.

"Yes, I was lucky enough to escape with a large amount of the people that lived in my city." Cuomo said.

"What was the capital of New York State?" Molt asked.

"Nice little city called Albany, sadly, it now resides at the bottom of a large crater." Cuomo said.

"One of our scouting teams found him walking alongside the road just before a large Gamma storm hit the area." Xavier explained.

"Good thing you guys had those environmental suits on hand." Cuomo said.

"Gamma storm?" Pinya asked.

"Let me fill in the blanks for you. In our world, we had mastered all unique forms of energy to help advance our people and better understand the world that we lived in. One of the energies we mastered was nuclear energy, which also had a dark side to it. Nuclear power was the one energy that could be weaponized, in which it had been used to end a war against a nation that was aggressively trying to create their own empire." Xavier explained.

"How did you end the war?" Molt asked.

"We used two nuclear bombs to level two of their cities." Dante said.

"My god." Diabo said, just after choking on a bit of his food.

"When COLOSSUS Day happened, many nuclear power plants worldwide were destroyed by the kinetic bombardment. The resulting effect was nuclear radiation from the devastation sites devastated the areas around them and sometimes the radiation would be picked up by a passing storm, creating green lightning inside the storm." Xavier explained.

"That was the least of our problems." John said.

"What do you mean?" Pinya asked.

"Do you know what is usually produced by a fire?" Blaze asked.

"Ash." Pinya responded.

"Well, just imagine over 30 trillion tons of it being released into the atmosphere."Blaze said.

"What do you mean?" Pinya said.

"The cities that were devastated by COLOSSUS Day had fires break out of control, it released 30 trillion tons of ash into the atmosphere. The resulting effect was that planes and helicopters couldn't take off because the ash would kill their internal systems, in which they would go down in a ball of fire. The ash did serious damage to the ecosystem, and it toiled on us during Hell Year." Brian, another squad member, explained.

"How did the environment torment your people?" Diabo asked.

"There were days that the sun beat down on us, causing droughts that lasted for months, rainfall that nearly filled the craters, and snow storms that have already buried Canada, forcing the people up there to flee south just to get away." Dante said.

"To sum it up, all life in our world will end at the end of the next year." Xavier said.

Pinya looked at Xavier, seeing a look in his eyes that meant that what he had said was the truth and it disturbed him. She looked to her father, who had a look of processing which meant that he was trying to wrap his his head around it.

"I shall bring this matter to the Senate, we shall see where this leads." Molt said.

"Thank you, sir." Xavier said.

"We will allow you to stay in the guest rooms here for the evening."Molt said.

"Thank you." Cuomo said.

 _Later that evening..._

Imperial Palace guest rooms

10:00pm

Each of the envoys were sound asleep in the beds of the guest rooms, but the evening wasn't going to be quiet for long. As they slept, assassins crept through the halls and into the rooms with blades drawn, slicing the throats of the occupants of the bed. But the assassins noticed something off...

Xavier's room

The Assassin had just slit the throat of the bed occupant, but he had felt that something was off. So he decided to check the body, but was shocked to see the body was that of another assassin that was sent to eliminate Xavier earlier...

"How is this possible?" The assassin said in shock.

"Yes, that boy has aged rapidly." Xavier said sarcastically.

Before the assassin could react, Xavier slit the assassin's throat with his own combat knife, watching as the man slunk to the floor dead.

The rest of the team (including Mikayla, who was actually a member of the Night Witches) took out the other assassins that came after them, saving the envoys in the process. Imperial guards gathered the bodies of the dead assassins so they could discuss the matter with Emperor Molt in the morning.

 _The Next Morning..._

Imperial Palace courtyard

7:00am

Pinya was pacing back and forth with a look of anger on her face as she was infuriated by this attack on the envoy group, looking over the bodies of the dead assassins. Diabo was annoyed, but also hoped that the repercussions of this incident wouldn't lead to violence.

"I should have realized that he would go this far." Molt said in an annoyed tone.

"You know who sent these guys after us?" Christopher asked.

"It was my older brother." Diabo said.

"Why the hell would he do that?" Cuomo asked, sounding like he was demanding an answer.

"Zolzal is distrusting of anyone who isn't under Imperial authority, in which he thinks that makes them the enemy." Pinya explained.

"Zolzal?" Xavier asked.

"He is my eldest son and a possible candidate for the throne should I die." Molt explained.

"I still say that is a stupid idea, father." Diabo protested.

"You guys clearly are speaking of him with great distaste." Dante said.

"He takes pride in rape, genocide, murder, torture, and he has many sex slaves to show for it." Pinya said, sounding angry.

"Sounds like we have a classic case of a sadist on our hands." Christopher said.

"Sadist?" Diabo asked.

"It's a mental health term, it means that the individual that takes pride and possibly pleasure in the suffering of others." Christopher explained.

"Listen, I'm gonna contact our superiors and let them know what's going on." Xavier said.

"Do you really have to do that?" Pinya said in a nervous tone.

"Don't worry, my dad won't declare war because of the actions of one sadistic asshole." Dante said as Xavier walked away.

Pinya breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the Ghosts weren't intending to start a war with the empire because of Zolzal's actions. While they were disposing of the dead assassins, Xavier was down at the truck on the radio with Daniel...

"Tombstone actual, this is Kingpin, come in, over." Xavier said.

" _Kingpin, this is Gravekeeper, how goes the meeting with the empire?"_ Daniel asked.

"Things are fine, we just got one minor hiccup." Xavier said.

" _What do you mean, a minor hiccup?"_ Daniel asked.

"Turns out, Pinya and Diabo have an older brother who really wants to find a way to piss us off so we'd go to war with each other." Xavier explained.

" _I see, what has he done so far?"_ Daniel said.

"Well, he tried to have assassins kill us in our sleep, but it was more like he sent guys with sticks to kill people who have guns." Xavier remarked.

" _What's the guy's name?"_ Daniel said.

"Believe it or not, his name is Zolzal." Xavier said.

" _Interesting name, anything else I should know?"_ Daniel asked.

"The guy is a Class-A sadist and owns a lot of sex slaves." Xavier said.

" _All right, be on your guard from anymore attempts by this guy, do whatever you can to keep the envoys safe. Report back to me if anything else happens."_ Daniel said.

"Copy your last, Gravekeeper. Kingpin out." Xavier said as Dante came walking towards him.

"Hey, hound." Dante said.

"Yeah?" Xavier asked.

"The first of the lords have arrived and there more on the way for the meetings." Dante said.

Xavier walked away from the truck, locking the door and taking the keys with him. A single thought had filled his head, which was centered on one thing...

" _Man, this is going to be an interesting trip."_

 **This concludes Chapter 5 of the story, Zolzal has just attempted to have the envoy group assassinated in a attempt to start a war between the Ghosts and The Empire, but the assassins he sent were easily dispatched by the team that was sent as extra security for the envoys. Xavier is under orders to have his team be on their guard for anymore attempts by Zolzal to eliminate the group. The next chapter will start off with the envoys meeting the leaders of the major vassal states so they will understand that they are not invaders but diplomats, and a new threat will emerge that is quickly taken down by the Ghosts...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	6. Chapter 6: Fear The Night Witches

Chapter 6: Fear The Night Witches

Imperial Palace throne room

7:10 am

The envoys got ready to meet with the leaders of the major vassal states, which were The Kingdoms of Elbe, Mudwan, Alguna, and The principality state of Ligu. The leaders of the state's were King Duran, King Byrtich, King Reinhardt, and Duke Aloysius Ligu. The leaders reacted differently to the sight of the strange visitors that emperor Molt had invited to the capital...

"Lords of the vassal states, I hereby introduce you to the envoys from the world beyond the Gate." Emperor Molt said.

"Greetings." The leaders said.

The envoys sat down at a table for the meetings, in which each of the envoys met with each of the leaders...

"I am King Duran of Elbe." Duran said.

"I am Mario Cuomo." Cuomo said.

The meeting with the lords of the vassal states ended with a reception in the dining hall of the palace where conversations continued...

"So, Mr. Sackett, what was your world like before this COLOSSUS Day occurred?" Duke Ligu asked.

"It was a thriving and prosperous place, there were so many diverse cultures and tons of people who followed them." Christopher explained.

"It sounds like a magnificent place, I would have loved to visit it before that dark day descended on your people." Byrtich said.

"You would have loved it." Dante said.

"Mr. Cuomo, what did you used to do before COLOSSUS Day happened?" Duran asked.

"I was the governor of a state before COLOSSUS Day devastated the world." Cuomo explained.

"You were a leader before?" Reinhardt said.

"Yes, I was lucky enough to have escaped from the capital of the state before COLOSSUS Day leveled it." Cuomo said.

Xavier noticed that some of the guards were acting suspicious, moving into place close to the leaders, which concerned him greatly so he walked over to Dante to talk...

"The guards are up to something, be on your guard, spread the word." Xavier whispered to him.

"Got it boss." Dante responded.

Dante spread the word about the guard's behavior to the rest of the team, so they were vigilant against the guards in case they made a move on the leaders. One of the guards approached the leaders readying his weapon, but the guards failed to see Xavier approach him...

"Itching to use the sword I see?"Xavier said.

The guard reacted by attacking Xavier, but he was quickly overpowered by Xavier, who ended up breaking his arm in a violent manner. The other guards proceeded to attempt to kill the vassal state leaders, only to be quickly defeated by the Ghosts that were in the room. As the treasonous guards were being escorted out of the room, the leaders met with the team and The envoys...

"You saved us. Thank you." Duran said.

"One of the first rules of a Ghost's training: Always have a vigilant watch for detail." Xavier said.

"There is wisdom in those words." Duke Ligu said.

"Who were those guys working for?" Dante asked.

"I forgot to mention, after the expedition force was massacred, the Senate became divided." Diabo started. "One half of the Senate seeks war on your world and condemns the deaths of the expedition members on the inhabitants of your world. The other half has grown to sympathize towards your people, and are amazed at the fact that your people survived the destruction of your world. They believe that your people would be better as allies than enemies." He said.

"So we have half of the Senate as our friends. Interesting." Cuomo said.

"Our older brother is a member of the faction, hence his attempts to take you out." Pinya said.

"Well, we better head to the outpost." Xavier said.

"The envoys can stay here, a few members of the pro-peace faction have requested to meet with them." Molt said.

"Of course, you can send them to Outpost Grimm when the meetings conclude." Xavier explained.

"Understood." Molt said.

The trucks took off to Outpost Grimm, leaving the envoys in the care of the Rose Knights, as Pinya offered to oversee the protection of the envoys from further attacks by Zolzal. They drove along the highway back to the Gate for a while, but Blaze realized that there is smoke coming from the direction of the city of Italica, a well known trading hub of the empire...

"Xavier, look!" Blaze pointed out.

"Who's that?" Dante asked.

The group looked forward to see a young girl wearing a goth-like outfit while wielding a large halberd, walking up to them with a big smile on their face...

"Why, hello." The gothic girl said in a cheerful tone.

"Ummm, hi." Xavier said.

"Do you know the way to Italica?" The girl said.

"I believe it's that way, are you a merchant?" Xavier asked.

"No." The girl responded.

"Then, why are you looking for Italica?" Blaze asked.

"Because ( _licking her lips._ ) I smell blood." The girl said with a smile.

"Wait, what?" Dante said in a confused tone.

 _Hours before..._

Unknown location, Special Region

10:00 pm

A group of bandits were accumulating on a tundra plain, trying to decide on a place to pillage. But they had no idea where to hit and were constantly arguing amongst themselves, which lead to violence against one another, driving a large amount of the people present away.

"We are getting nowhere!" One bandit leader exclaimed.

"We need a good place to hit!" Another leader barked.

"Well, I have a good place to hit." A stranger said over the bickering crowd.

"Sorry bub, this isn't a mercenary meeting." The leaders said.

"Well, I can take my offer of supplies and resources elsewhere." The stranger said.

"Whoa, how much supplies?" The bearded bandit leader said.

"Now I have your attention." The stranger said, turning around. "Enough supplies to build an army." He explained.

" You just have them lying around somewhere?" The short bandit leader said.

"They can be yours, if you do a simple task for my superiors." The Stranger explained.

"Of course, there was going to be a catch." The thin bandit leader said.

"Keen eyes, you are to attack a location of my superiors choosing." The Stranger explained.

"What?" The bandit leaders exclaimed.

"Oh, so you're interested?" The Stranger said in a humored tone.

"What's the location?" The older bandit leader said.

"You are to attack the city of Italica in the morning, hit them with everything you have." The Stranger explained.

The bandit leaders acknowledged their instructions, so the stranger proceeded to leave to go meet with a hooded individual hiding around the corner, who was revealed to actually be Zolzal...

"Did they take the offer?" Zolzal asked.

"Yes, my prince, they will mobilize on Italica tomorrow." The Stranger said.

"Good, let us return to the capital to avoid suspicion." Zolzal said.

"Understood." The Stranger said.

" _If these Ghosts are so supernatural, let us see how they fare against an army of over 600 men._ " Zolzal thought.

Presently...

Italica East Gate

8:01 am

The city defenders were rallied by Bozes, one of the Rose Knights, an attempt to push back the advancing hostiles, who were led by the Bandit leaders. Their attacks on the walls had left the defenses of the city weakened. They were advancing on the walls again, hoping to break through the defenses finally, but the advancing bandits were pushed back by a barrage of arrows...

"We can break their center! Hit them now!" Bozes shouted to her soldiers.

The soldiers proceeded to dump heated oil down onto a large group of bandits, killing several of them and sending the rest of the group running back. The bandit leaders were getting angered by the failed attempts by their soldiers to break the city's defenses.

"Ugh! Fall back and regroup!" The leaders exclaimed.

The bandit forces retreated, much to Bozes' annoyance as she knew that the bandits were regrouping to attack again. She decided to check up on how much of the city's defenders were left after the attack.

"Cardin, Benjamin, are you two alright?" Bozes shouted.

"We're good." The two imperial soldiers shouted.

Bozes withdrew from the walls to the Formal estate, were she was fed by the staff...

"Do you think reinforcements will ever come?" Emily, one of the maids, asked.

"They will, Emily, do not give up." Bozes said.

"Lady Bozes!" A city guard said as he burst into the room.

"What is it?" Bozes asked.

"Unknown vehicles have appeared on the road." The guard said.

"Must have come from those individuals who saved the princess and her brother." Bozes figured.

Bozes went down to the city gates, where Cardin and a curious Emily was alongside him, staring through the slot of a door near the Gate, looking at the armored vehicles that were sitting on the road right outside their walls.

"Carriages without horses to pull them?" Emily said in a confused tone.

"Those are not Carriages, that's forged iron." Bozes said.

"If you are not hostile, show yourselves!" Benjamin shouted from the walls.

The gothic girl came around the truck, in which Bozes immediately identified her as Rory Mercury, an apostle to the dark god Emloy. She was then followed by Xavier, who was wearing his Ghost mask to conceal his identity for a security precaution.

"What is that entity following her?" Emily asked, sounding scared.

"That isn't an entity, it is a person wearing a mask." Bozes said.

"Do you think they are hostile?" Cardin asked.

"If they were hostile, Italica would have fallen by now." Bozes pointed out.

"Plus, if the church of Emloy joined forces with the bandits, the city would be annihilated." Cardin said.

While the trio at the door discussed the presence of the unknown visitors accompanying the priestess of Emloy, there was a knock at the door. Bozes was startled by it, but she knew something that the others didn't, that the visitors were not hostile to the people of Italica, maybe they could be allies. But while she stood there thinking, Emily was already checking who it was.

"Who is it?" Emily asked.

"My name is Xavier, is something wrong going on here?" Xavier asked politely.

"Are you planning to attack us?" Emily asked calmly.

"What? No, I'm not going to, I saw the smoke while me and my group were driving back to our associates." Xavier explained, while Bozes was panicking behind her.

"Driving?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, it just requires a vehicle like those ones." Xavier said, pointing to the trucks.

"Well, we're suffering from attacks by a bandit army." Emily explained.

"Do you need any help?" Xavier asked.

"Well, we sent for reinforcements but they may not make it on time." Emily said.

"Well,we'd like to help however we can." Xavier said.

"Excuse me for a moment, I need to speak with Commander Bozes about this." Emily said.

"Of course, take your time." Xavier said.

Emily slid the slider shut, then turned to Bozes and Cardin to discuss the matter of possibly gaining the support of the stranger and his group of soldiers...

"He seems quite civil." Emily said casually.

"That he does." Cardin said in agreement.

"Why did you just talk to him?" Bozes said.

"It was the civil thing to do." Emily remarked.

"She's not wrong, we should try to get them on our side." Cardin said.

"( _Sigh)_ Open the doors, let them in." Bozes said.

Emily acknowledged what Bozes said and proceeded to open the door to let Rory and The Stranger inside the walls of the city.

"I wish you had come to Italica at a better time." Bozes said in a civil tone.

"I'll let you fill me in on all details about this city's current situation." Xavier said.

"Of course, follow me." Bozes said, leading Xavier towards the estate.

" _Xavier, what's going on?_ " Dante said over the radio.

"I'm inside the walls, I'll talk to you again after I see where we currently stand." Xavier responded.

" _Understood, we'll be on standby until further notice._ " Dante said.

Xavier followed Bozes to the Formar estate to discuss the details of the attacks on the city...

13 minutes later...

"So can you help us?" Bozes asked.

"I can see that you are in a difficult position, is there anything out of the ordinary about the enemy army?" Xavier asked.

"They are equipped with weapons and resources that are only utilized by either the armies of the vassal states or the Imperial army." Cardin pointed out.

"So, they were supplied by someone who has access to military resources." Xavier figured.

"Who would do this?" Bozes asked.

"The first priority is to stop these attacks by defeating the bandits, then we find out who is their backer." Xavier said.

"Understood ,We'll have you and your people guard the rear flank." Bozes said.

Phantom Squad took up positions at the south gate while Bozes organized the city defenders to be ready in case of another attack on the city by the jumped on the radio and contacted the outpost that the Ghosts were given permission to establish on this side of the Gate...

"Outpost Temple , this is Kingpin, do you copy?" Xavier said.

" _Kingpin, this is Temple, what is your ETA to our location?_ " Ashton asked.

"We've encountered a roadblock, sir." Xavier responded.

" _What do you mean?"_ Ashton asked.

"We have encountered a town under siege by hostile bandits. The city defense leader is requesting our aid." Xavier explained.

" _What is the hostile count?_ " Ashton asked.

"Over 600 strong and heavily organized." Xavier said.

" _Understood, I shall organize some reinforcements to assist you. Who is the city defense leader?_ " Ashton asked.

"Her name is Bozes Co Palesti, she is a member of the Rose Knights, a group of warriors under the command of the princess." Xavier explained.

" _Understood."_ Ashton said.

Xavier left the truck and joined the rest of his team atop the walls of the south gate, witnessing them preparing for the evening...

"Is there any activity?" Xavier asked.

"Just 3 guys sitting on horseback and staring at us." Blaze explained.

"Must be scouts, trying to get a feel of the defenses." Xavier said.

"One of them is using a spyglass, looking right at us." Anthony said.

"Why are you smiling, Dante?" Xavier asked.

"Because I have a good idea, duck down." Dante said.

The group proceeded to duck down out of the sight of the bandits, which had left them confused. But they didn't know was that the Ghosts had dropped out of sight so they could quickly slip on their masks and pop back up to catch them off guard, sending them back to their friends terrified...

"Ha, look at those fuckers run." Mikayla said.

"Now they know that they are going to be in for one wild night." Xavier said.

"Let's keep watch until then." Dante said.

"Agreed." Xavier responded.

 _Later that evening..._

Benjamin and the soldiers were lined up along the wall of the east gate, waiting to see if the bandits would move against them. It appeared to be a quiet night, until Benjamin noticed a group of lights, when those were actually flying arrows coming towards them.

"DOWN!" Benjamin shouted to the others.

All the soldiers ducked under their shields as the arrows rained down on them. They immediately organized to counter the attack, but the bandits unveiled their secret weapon for this fight, a young bird-siren named Myuute.

"She's using Spirit magic!"Benjamin shouted.

"Then you know what to do!" One soldier exclaimed , chopping a ladder that was about to lean against the wall.

The lights from the fighting over at the eastern gate was able to be seen by the team at the southern gate, which didn't surprise Dante or Xavier at all...

" Aw, come on, why are they not attacking us!" Rory complained.

"I know, I have been itching for a good fight!" Blaze said, sounding annoyed.

"You thinking what I am thinking?" Dante asked Xavier.

"Yeah, Bozes had planned on us being a decoy so they could wrap up the battle at the east gate, but she failed to see that the trick can be seen through like a politician's lie." Xavier explained.

While Bozes was mortified by the fact that the walls were getting overwhelmed by the bandits, the Ghosts at Outpost Temple were a plan of action to aid the city...

Outpost Temple

8:00pm

Ashton was meeting with the leaders of some of the groups in the Ghosts to decide on which soldiers were going...

"Listen up, Phantom Squad has made contact with Rose Knight member , Bozes Co Palesti, who requested our aid in local peacekeeping operations in the city of Italica.." Ashton explained.

"Sounds like you'll need efficiency and power, Sir, please select combat group 3." Jacob, a member of the Hammer-Down Legion, said.

"( _Scoff._ ) Please, you Boom Jockeys won't get there in time, you should select Strike group 4 for this one." Juliana, a member of the Night Witches, said.

"We've got the stereo system and The playlist all set up." Jeanette, another member, said.

"She's right, we'll need speed to get to them before that city falls. Strike group 4 will be going." Ashton ordered." _Did they really become possessed by the Ghosts of ancient warriors because of that music Xavier shared with them._ " He thought.

Meanwhile, Apache Helicopters out on a runway began to spin their rotors, while a group of Blackhawk choppers readied themselves as well, loading up squads that consisted of members of the Night Witches and Silent Knights. Ashton watched as the choppers took off for Italica, which made him remember a very familiar phrase that Arielle taught him which was actually the Night Witches's motto...

" _The wind will whisper when the Night Witches come."_ Ashton said to himself.

 **The chapter concludes with the Ghosts of Phantom Squad aiding in the defense of Italica as the efforts were spearheaded by Bozes, a member of Pinya's Rose Knights, and a Ghost Strike Force Group being dispatched to assist in the defense of the city. The next chapter will pick up during the Battle of Italica, where Bozes and Pinya learn of the destructive power that is the Ghost's deadly arsenal of weapons, and Zolzal will make a choice that will set a series of events that will not end well for him. Familiar characters from the series itself will make cameo appearances in this story, and The first of these cameos will start in the next chapter as the team makes a journey to Outpost Temple, which is slowly growing, only to cross paths with a certain beast that all Gate fans reading this will know along with a certain elf girl...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	7. Chapter 7: Into the Fire

Chapter 7: Into the Fire

 **Italica East Gate**

 **9:30pm**

The East Gate walls were under attack by the bandits, who had surged onto the walls and began to attack the city defenders violently. Bozes watched in horror as the guards that were manning the defenses were getting overwhelmed. Phantom Squad pondered about a plan of action to aid in the defense of the walls, but Rory Mercury, their guest, was beginning to act strangely, as if she was getting aroused by something that wasn't seen by the members of the team...

"What is with her?" Anthony asked.

"She is an apostle of Emloy, so the souls of the dead are being sent to Emloy through her body." A voice said behind them.

The team spun around to see Emily emerging from the shadows very calmly , so they lowered their weapons not to hurt her...

"Sneaking up on us like could have gotten you killed." Xavier said.

"I'm sorry, I was curious about you." Emily explained.

"Well, you could have asked us." Erin, a squad member, said.

"What's going on?" Emily asked, sounding a bit scared.

"Looks like the bandits saw through the plan that Bozes had." Xavier said.

"What will we do?" Emily asked.

"Alright, Brian, hear anything from Outpost Temple?" Xavier asked.

"There's a Night Witch task force inbound to Italica." Brian said.

"Okay then, Blaze, Dante, and I will go to the east gate to provide support and direct the task force there." Xavier said.

"Rory, hang in there." Mikayla said.

But Rory ignored Mikayla and leapt from the walls and sped off to the east gate, with the trio following in one of the jeeps. Xavier jumped on the radio to contact the Night Witch task force, which was commanded by Juliana...

"Firestorm, this is Kingpin, fighting is at the east gate, I repeat fighting is at the east gate, we shall mark it with a flare." Xavier said.

The helicopters surged across the countryside towards Italica with great speed, while Juliana received the information supplied by Xavier...

"Attention all units, this is Phoenix Leader, get into attack formation." Juliana said to the other choppers.

" _Copy that, Phoenix Leader, all choppers get into attack formation, we'll ride with the sun at our backs._ " Prowler 3, another chopper piloted by Taylor House, said.

"Angel One, start the music." Juliana said to the pilots of a Blackhawk that a stereo setup onboard.

" _Copy, Phoenix, what playlist shall sing for us?_ " Alexis, one of the pilot operators, asked.

"Let's go with an old school war favorite." Juliana responded.

" _Got it, we're flying with the Valkyries today._ " Alexis said.

The helicopter's speakers blared the old song _Ride of the Valkyries,_ in which two of the helicopters, Phoenix 2 and Angel 3, moved in a synchronized formation. Every soldier onboard the helicopters readied for combat, in which Nicole noticed one of the male Ghosts pull off his helmet off his head and sit on it, which she was confused by...

"Why do all the guys sit on their helmets?" Nicole asked Peter, one of the Silent Knights that was a part of the operation.

"It's so their balls don't get blown off while they're in the air." Peter responded.

The choppers surged over the hills towards the columns of smoke that billowed from the walls of Italica, where the city defenders were getting overwhelmed...

"This is our final stand! Hold the line!" Benjamin shouted to his men.

Benjamin and his men fought off the bandits as best as they could, but they were all killed by the bandits, in which one of the bandit leaders held up Benjamin's lifeless body with a look of pride on his face...

"THE ENEMY COMMANDER HAS BEEN SLAIN!" The bearded leader shouted to his men. "Comrades, this city belongs to us! It is our will that commands its people , it's riches belong to us! Italica is ours!" He exclaimed.

But in that single moment, Rory leapt from one of the rooftops with her halberd in hand, giggling uncontrollably. While she did that, unknown shooters killed the other leaders excluding the bearded leader. As Rory stared down the bandits that crowded the gates, a missile came up behind the bandits, completely obliterating the bulk of the bandits outside. The helicopters opened fire on the hostiles, killing many of the advancing bandits that were heading to the siege ladders that were resting against the walls...

" _All units, this is Phoenix Leader, we have friendlies inside the walls, so restrict your fire to the outside."_ Juliana explained over the radio.

" _This is Angel 3, Roger that._ " One pilot said.

The choppers opened fire on the bandits, killing several bandits and sending some running away. Two bandits on the walls raced to a large ballista and got ready to load it to fire on the attacking choppers...

" _Enemy AA on the walls, they're still loading."_ Phoenix 2's pilot, Christine Santonecci, said.

"Phoenix 2, you are cleared hot to engage that target." Juliana said.

" _Phoenix 2, copy._ " Christine said, firing on the AA weapon.

"Well done, when you get back to base, I'll buy you a beer." Juliana said.

The choppers flew around the east gate, firing upon the bandits outside of the walls, killing them with missile attacks and minigun fire. The fighting was seen all the way from the south gate, where Emily and the rest of the squad watched...

"Oh my gosh, is that magic that your people wield in this fight?" Emily asked.

"No, that's just old fashioned military firepower combined with effective strategy." Anthony said.

A group of bandits were running along the wall, trying to get away from the attacking choppers only to be mowed down by missiles. The blackhawks proceeded to mow down a group of archers that tried to fire on them. As the choppers flew overhead, Rory was about to face off against the bandits that were standing in front of the Gate, who were terrified of her...

"The priestess of Emloy?" The bearded bandit leader said in a confused tone.

The truck carrying the three ghosts arrived at the east gate, with the trio stepping out of the vehicle with their rifles in hand...

"Ready bayonets!" Xavier ordered, attaching his bayonet to his rifle.

Blaze let out a warrior's cry and charged into the fray, leaving Dante and Xavier behind at the truck...

"That little pyscho!" Dante said in an annoyed tone.

"We'll provide support, ready...forward!" Xavier said.

Rory began to carve through the bandits surrounding her with her halberd in hand, even decimating a group of bandits that had gone into a tortoise formation to combat her. She then killed another group of bandits that had surrounded her and attempted to drive their spears into her. A large bandit came up behind her , ready to slam a massive warhammer down onto her, when Blaze intervened by driving his bayonet into the bandit's side and pulling the trigger on his rifle.

"You fellas should have called in sick today." Blaze said to the other bandits.

Bandits charged him but he was able to quickly take them out, until he accidentally broke his bayonet on a bandit's shield, leaving him to block the bandit's sword strike with his own rifle, leaving him to quickly pull out his desert eagle and kill the bandit. He turned to the rifle, only to see the stand that was attached to the body of the gun fall off onto the ground in pieces...

"Oh, jeez." Blaze said to himself.

"Do not panic men! Regroup and attack!" The bearded bandit leader ordered.

"Frag out!" Blaze shouted, tossing two grenades into the bandit lines.

Blaze then proceeded to fire on the bandits with his pistol, killing several of them alongside Rory, who ended up saving him from a bandit was going to attack his back at the same time as Blaze killed a bandit that was coming up behind her while Xavier and Dante took up positions near the bulwarks...

"This is not good, those two have lost track of their surroundings." Xavier said.

"So what do we do?" Dante asked.

"We cover their backs, do not let a single bandit get behind them." Xavier ordered.

"Understood." Dante said.

The two boys fired on any bandits that tried to come up on the rear of Rory and Blaze, angering the bearded leader of the bandits. But while he was getting angry at the boys for killing his men, a missile came up behind him and impacted on the wall behind him, sending him flying through the air. Only to land on the pointed tip of Rory's halberd, causing her to look up at the dying man who had begun to speak...

"This ( _cough_ ) was not ( _cough_ ) part of the plan. We ( _cough_ ) were supposed to take the city ( _cough_ ) so the ghosts would die." The leaders said before Rory slammed him to ground, pulling the halberd out of his chest.

"( _Cowering tone_ ) Our leader!" One bandit exclaimed.

"Do not be afraid! Regroup and fight!" A bandit lieutenant exclaimed.

Xavier let out a sigh of annoyance as the bandits still tried to fight back, until his radio kicked on as Juliana contacted him...

" _Kingpin, this is Phoenix Leader, we are about to eradicate the hostiles inside the Gate in 10 seconds, clear out immediately._ " Juliana said before repeating what she said.

"Dante, get Rory, I'll handle Blaze." Xavier said.

"Okay!" Dante said as an Apache came through the smoke that billowed from the Gate.

Xavier pushed Blaze towards the bulwarks while Dante grabbed Rory and ran towards the Bulwarks as well as Juliana counted down to one as the bandits watched in horror as the chopper took its place in view of the Gate. She spun up her machine guns and mowed down the hostile bandits that crowded the gates, in which the city defenders heard the screams of the bandits as they were massacred by the chopper.

" What is that monster?" Cardin asked as the chopper flew by.

"Is that an iron Pegasus?" Bozes asked herself.

While Bozes and Cardin looked upon the technological power of the Ghosts, the Blackhawks moved into position above the battle scene in which the pilots turned their occupants and said...

"Deploy now! Check survivors and round up prisoners! Go! Go!" David, the pilot, said.

The ghosts onboard the choppers roped down to the ground and immediately went to work, providing medical aid to the wounded but surviving city defenders and rounding up surviving bandits as prisoners, including Myuute.

" Phoenix Leader, this is Scarecrow, the enemy force has been decimated, kill count currently stands at 500." Nick said.

" _Well done, everyone, that's another one for the books._ " Juliana said over the radio.

3 minutes later...

The ghosts and city defenders were cleaning up debris that was left over from the fighting, while a group of ghosts and volunteers watched over the prisoners as the walls were now manned by Imperial soldiers that were dispatched to aid Italica.

"What's the bandit casualty toll?" Xavier asked.

"The toll currently stands at over 500 dead, including the leaders of the bandits." Dante said.

"That explains why we have over 90 prisoners." Xavier said.

"It's a good idea that we decided to help with the clean up before they give us compensation for helping in the defense of the city." Xavier said.

" So we're guarding the prisoners while the rest of the group are doing the heavy lifting." Dante said as Rory walked over.

"Hey, Rory, what's up?" Xavier said.

"Is it okay if I talk to you in private?" Rory asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Xavier responded, following Rory to over near the walls.

"When the bandit leader was thrown from the walls by the missile, he said something that peaked my curiosity before he died." Rory said.

"Really now?" Xavier said in a curious tone.

"Yes, he said that attacking Italica was part of a plan to try and lure the Ghosts into a trap to die." Rory explained.

"So somebody has been plotting against us?" Xavier said.

"Apparently so." Rory said.

" I see, so my suspicions were true." Xavier said.

"You were suspicious?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, one part of a Ghost's training is to notice if the enemy you fight are really puppets on strings." Xavier said.

"So what did you notice that aroused these suspicions?" Rory asked.

"I noticed that the bandits were able to hit the city defenses at the right spots to cripple the defenders, along with the fact that the weapons that they were carrying were Imperial issue." Xavier explained.

"I see." Rory said.

"By the way, I saw you talking to that bird girl." Xavier said.

"Myuute is actually a slave that the bandits acquired for the fight, plus her species is called Demi-Human." Rory explained.

"So she's a slave?"Xavier said.

"Lieutenant Moore, Countess Myui and Commander Bozes are ready to meet with you." Grey Co Aldo, a fellow Rose Knight , said.

"Understood." Xavier said, leaving Dante and Rory to guard the prisoners.

Xavier made his way to the Formar Estate to meet with Bozes and Countess Myui to discuss the details of the compensation that the Ghosts were to receive for aiding in the defense of the city. As he walked up the steps of the estate, he saw a couple of trucks coming up the road which meant that some more help was on the way for the evening. He entered the estate and proceeded to the estate meeting room, where Myui, an 11 year old girl and the current leader of Italica, and Bozes awaited alongside Juliana.

"So glad you could join us." Juliana said sarcastically.

"I was busy guarding the prisoners while you guys were getting ready." Xavier said.

"Let us proceed with the negotiations between the Ghosts and The people of Italica." Emily said, unrolling a formal document.

They discussed the terms of the reward for the Ghosts involvement in defending the city, coming to terms on the treatment of the prisoners, the reconstruction efforts, in which the final part of the discussion was the permission of the Ghosts taking a prisoner of their choice back with them, in which the prisoner that Xavier chose to take was someone that neither party expected: Myuute.

"Who's Myuute?" Juliana asked as they walked out of the building at the conclusion of the negotiations, in which Xavier handed to her a pair of binoculars.

"Look to the prisoners, do you see a girl with a feather in her hair?" Xavier said.

"Oh yeah, the girl sitting on the ground closer to your friend Dante." Juliana pointed out.

"That's Myuute, she's apparently some demi-human slave girl that the bandits acquired for the fight." Xavier explained.

"Demi-human?" Juliana said in a confused tone.

"That means that she is part animal, in her case, she is part bird." Xavier said.

They arrived at the east gate, witnessing a group of Ghosts talking to Dante about how the battle went. Juliana was about to walk away when she turned to Xavier...

"Listen, I have to take the choppers back to Outpost Temple, Ashton wants all assets back to base as the treaty states we can't force an occupation on the city." Juliana explained.

"So we have to drive back?" Xavier said.

"Pretty much." Juliana said before walking away.

The choppers took off as a crowd of people cheered as their rescuers took off to Outpost Temple, while a group of trucks carrying two separate squads , Phantom and Banshee, drove back to the base with two extra guests. Rory sat across from Myuute, who seemed confused by something and that was disturbing her...

"What seems to be bothering you?" Rory asked.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I am not used to this much kindness." Myuute explained.

"Why are you not used to people being kind?" Xavier asked.

" Being a slave, all of the people who saw me always looked down at me, treated me poorly." Myuute said.

"I know that feeling well." Erin said.

"You do?" Myuute said.

"Believe it or not, Erin was held captive by a group of slavers back before the Militants became the Ghosts." Xavier said.

"Really?" Myuute asked.

"Yeah, I was lucky enough to have been liberated from captivity by the Militants during their campaign to try and reclaim some of the territory of the old New York State." Erin said.

"You were fighting for reclamation of old territory?" Myuute said in an interested tone.

"Yes, after COLOSSUS Day happened, a lot of territory fell into chaos and was eventually ruled by slavers, bandits, and degenerate war-like tribes." Xavier explained.

"Ok, we'll be coming up on the stream mentioned in this map provided by the Night Witches, so Anthony, please take a right at the stream." Brian explained.

"All right." Anthony said, turning right at the stream.

The trucks drove for a while, in which the sun began to set. But as they drove along the highway, something seemed off as Myuute took notice of a large column of smoke...

"What is that?" Myuute asked, causing all of the Ghosts to look at where she had been pointing.

"A fire?" Xavier said.

The convoy of the Ghosts decided to investigate the source of the smoke, pulling up to the edge of a large forest, seeing a massive fire blaze on the treeline, in Myuute shakingly hid behind Xavier...

"What's wrong, Myuute?" Xavier asked.

"Bad things follow fire." Myuute said in a scared tone.

"What does she mean?" Rayne, the leader of Banshee Squad, said before hearing a loud roar coming from the forest.

"What the hell?" Nicole exclaimed.

The members of the convoy looked towards the forest to see the one who had caused the fire in the forest: a large red, fire dragon. The group readied their weapons for combat should it turn its attention to them...

"What the hell is that monster?" Brian asked.

"A fire dragon." Rory said in a scared tone.

"Why is it scaring you?" Nicole asked Rory.

"Dragons are affiliated with the goddess of the underworld, Hardy." Rory said.

"My people rear the beasts for their destructive power." Myuute said, trembling behind Xavier.

"The thing's flying off." Blaze said.

Xavier looked to see the enormous fire dragon fly away from the forest it had just attacked and ignited into flames, in which he was about to give the order for the group to move on when he noticed Myuute looked to the forest with great concern...

"You know something about this forest, don't you?" Xavier asked.

"Yes." Myuute responded.

"What is it?" Xavier said.

"The slavers that I once was owned by always talked about an elven settlement in the forest that they had considered attacking." Myuute explained.

"Where is this settlement?" Rayne asked.

"In there." Myuute said, pointing to the forest that they were in front of.

Xavier and Rayne acknowledged the fact that what Myuute had just said could be the truth and they remembered one of the Ghost's resposibilies and most important duties : when there is a settlement in need, always be a helping hand.

"Rayne, there is a settlement in need." Xavier said.

"So the Ghosts will descend on their cries for need and answer the call." Rayne said.

"Everyone, our return trip to Outpost Temple is going to be taking a pitt stop." Xavier said to the group.

"Get ready to move, we have survivors to rescue." Rayne ordered.

"You heard the lady! Gear up!" Anthony shouted.

The soldiers proceeded to get ready to move to the settlement in the forest that was ignited by the dragon, just as rain clouds gathered above the forest to extinguish the fire...

Unknown elven settlement

3:14 pm

The soldiers arrived in the ruins of the elven settlement, among charred remains and burned down buildings and burnt trees. There were scorch marks everywhere, in which the teams wandered around, checking the ruins for any survivors of the dragon's attack. Xavier rested by the remnants of the settlement's well as the group searched for survivors and said a prayer for the ones who didn't make it. Xavier took a drink from his canteen, while Dante walked up to him...

"How is the search?" Xavier asked.

"We have counted over 30 buildings, but over 27 corpses, it's just too few." Dante said.

"Assuming that there are three people per building, that could be over 100 people." Xavier estimated.

"Rayne said that while the base was being established, they were attacked on occasion by winged dragons that had scales hard as tungsten." Dante said.

"Probably some lesser cousins of the one we saw, how did they drive them off?" Xavier asked.

"They were lucky enough to drive them off with 12mm armor piercing rounds." Dante responded.

"Have Brian tip off Ashton about the big fire-breather we saw awhile ago, let him know that it might attack settlements." Xavier said.

"Understood." Dante said as Xavier tossed a bucket down into a well.

But as Xavier tossed the bucket down, they heard it clatter against something down at the bottom, which immediately attracted their attention...

"What's that noise?" Dante asked.

"Light." Xavier ordered, with Dante turning on his flashlight.

They shined it to the bottom, where they ended up seeing an unconscious young elven girl in a soaked green dress with long, blonde hair resting at the bottom of the well...

"Oh my God." Dante said.

"HEY, WE'VE GOT A SURVIVOR!" Xavier shouted to the others.

 **This concludes Chapter 7, as the squad aided in the defense of the city of Italica with the Night Witches arriving to break the siege of the city. The group negotiated the terms of the reward for the Ghosts involvement in the battle. The squad is joined by Banshee Squad, a fellow unit, and Myuute, a demi-human bird girl slave that was once part of the bandit army that attacked the city, so they are set to drive back to their outpost following their involvement in the battle. But their drive back is interrupted by crossing paths with the fire dragon as it decimated a large settlement of elves in a forest, with the only survivor of the attack being a lone girl, who is actually Tuka Luna Marceau from the series itself. The next chapter will start off with the convoy arriving at the village of Coda, in which they cross paths with another familiar face, and engage in their first firefight with the fire dragon while they were escorting the civilians from Coda to safety...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	8. Chapter 8: Inferno Evacuation

Chapter 8: Inferno Evacuation

 **Elven Settlement Ruins**

 **3:51 pm**

The Ghosts had just witnessed a large fire dragon devastate an elven settlement in a large forest, killing over 100 people. But they had found one survivor in the form of a blonde elven girl that was unconscious at the bottom of the well in the center of the settlement. Xavier was repelling down into the well to get the girl out of the water and back up top, securing a harness around her...

"Dante!" Xavier shouted up.

"Pull forward! Slowly!" Dante shouted to Rayne, who was behind the wheel of one of the trucks.

Rayne carefully pulled the truck forward, pulling Xavier and the unconscious elf girl out of the well. Xavier got a good grip on the rocks of the well, in which the rest of the group was left speechless at the sight of the elven girl on Xavier's back...

"We need a rescue, hurry!" Xavier shouted to the others.

"You got it! Rodriguez! Where is that fool?" Dante said in a annoyed tone.

While the group went to find their medics, Myuute stayed by the well while Xavier was hangin.g on to the rocks...

"Here, let me help." Myuute said, helping Xavier and the elven girl out of the well.

"Thanks, she's unconscious, so be careful." Xavier said.

"Okay." Myuute said calmly.

The two of them moved the unconscious elf girl to one of the trucks so the team medics could tend to her injuries, in which Xavier walked over to a rock to the water out of his boots...

"Her core temp is currently 64.8." Diana, the medic on Rayne's team, said.

"What do you need me to do?" Mikayla asked.

"Get these wet clothes off her." Diana explained.

"Okay, sorry miss, I need to do this." Mikayla said, using a pair of scissors to cut the girl's wet dress.

While the two girls treated the unconscious and injured elf girl, Xavier was busy cleaning out his boots of water while talking to Dante...

"Alright, we have found ourselves an elf!" Dante said in an excited tone.

"( _Sigh_ ) Can't we just get a break?" Xavier said in an annoyed tone.

"What do you mean?" Dante asked Xavier.

"First, we save a city from bandits, now we've got a settlement that has been decimated and an unconscious elf girl as the only survivor." Xavier said.

"You're right, about the fact that we have not been able to get a good rest." Dante said.

"First Lieutenant!" Diana said.

"Yes ma'am?" Xavier said.

"Our guest is recovering, her core temp is currently returning to normal." Diana explained.

"That's good, there's already been enough death." Xavier said in a relived tone.

"So, that brings us to the next matter on the list, what shall we do with her since her home has been decimated?" Diana asked.

"You're right about the decimation, we'll take her back as a refugee." Xavier said.

"Understood, sir." Diana said.

The group loaded up into the trucks and proceeded to drive out of the ruins back to Outpost Temple, but decided to make a pitt stop at the village of Coda, a small settlement that the Ghosts had made contact with during the establishment of Outpost Temple, to warn them about the Fire Dragon sighting...

 **Coda Village**

"What? The entire settlement has been wiped out?!" The village elder asked in a scared tone.

"We saw a large beast, forest and settlement burned." Xavier said.

"A fire dragon." The village elder said.

"The dragon destroyed the settlement, we found the only survivor to be a young elven girl." Xavier explained , showing the girl to the elder.

"Oh, it's such a tragedy, poor thing." The village elder said.

"Can she stay in the village?" Xavier asked.

"I'm afraid not." The Village Elder said, shaking his head.

"Why not?"Xavier asked.

"Because this settlement is no longer safe. We need to leave." The elder said.

"You're planning to evacuate?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, once a fire dragon tastes the blood of elves or humans, it will not stop , it will attack settlements non-stop." The elder explained as the villagers scrambled to get away.

" Well, it's a good thing that we had to make a pitt stop. We'll give you a hand." Xavier said.

The group proceeded to help control the flow of the traffic that the villagers' wagons had created, in which an elderly sorcerer and his 15-year-old student were getting ready to move, only to be hindered by the number of items that he wanted to bring, such as his own books...

"Oww!" The man, Kato, said after falling from trying to carry a large stack of books.

"Sensei, I feel that the wagon is full, we can't carry anymore." The 15-year-old girl, Lelei, said.

"NO, I NEED MY BOOKS! Lelei, there must be a way." Kato said in a sad tone.

"Alright, We should prioritize the most important books to bring." Lelei said.

"That's a smart idea Lelei, that's why I say you are good student for me to have." Kato said.

"I know, and besides, you need to get your usual rest." Lelei said.

"What? I don't intend on mounting a 15-year-old girl ( _chuckle._ ) I'd rather mount a curvy woman like your sister." Kato said in a perverted tone, resulting in a magic barrage from Lelei.

"Hey! Magic is sacred, you can't just abuse it!" Kato said in his defense.

"Mind your words then." Lelei said, hopping onto the wagon.

Kato picked himself up off the ground and jumped on the wagon, right next to his apprentice...

"I'm sorry, Lelei." Kato said.

"It's alright, I am used to your personality." Lelei said.

Kato signalled the donkey to move, but it had struggled as the wagon was at max capacity of the items that it could carry...

"Huh? It's not moving." Kato said in a confused tone.

"That's because the wagon is full." Lelei pointed out.

"Oh, well it's a good thing that I am a powerful sorcerer." Kato said, raising his staff.

"Is magic sacred? That it is a power that should not be abused. You said that yourself, master." Lelei said.

"Oh..." Kato said in a humbled tone.

"But, there are always exceptions." Lelei said, raising her staff.

The wagon was lifted up to the air by her magic, so they rode off to join the evacuation convoy of civilians...

"I can't believe it, a fire dragon awoken ahead of its hibernation cycle, it has ruined my day." Kato said as they approached the convoy.

Kato and Lelei's wagon arrived in the line-up of wagons that were stopped still in the middle of the road, which had left them confused.

"What's going on?" Kato said.

"Kato-sensei, Lelei! One of the wagons was carrying too much so it's axel broke." A villager that ran up to their wagon said.

"Don't worry, aiding in evacuations is what the U.S Military is able to do!" Reaper, a member of Diana's squad, shouted.

"Huh?" Kato said as two Ghosts ran around a wagon.

"Hound, get these civilians moving." Rayne said.

"Yes ma'am." Xavier said.

"Onyx, check for anyone who is hurt." Rayne ordered.

"Roger." Diana said.

"What a strange language." Kato said.

"Those uniforms, I want to get a closer look." Lelei said, hopping off the wagon.

"Lelei!" Kato exclaimed.

Lelei took off running after the Ghosts that were heading to the wreck, in which she saw a young girl on the ground, breathing heavily as if she had just experienced a great deal of pain.

"She is danger." Lelei said as Diana came up as well.

"This girl has a serious concussion, there is a possibility that she has a fractured skull as well." Diana said as she examined the girl.

"A female soldier, and a doctor?" Lelei said in a surprised tone.

But as Lelei was left speechless at the sight of a female soldier, the wounded horse from the wagon stood up and was bucking wild uncontrollably. Fear quickly overcome Lelei as the horse's front hooves came down towards her fast, only to see blood fly out of its torso as she heard a set of gunshots that came out of Rayne's rifle...

"You ok?" Diana asked.

"These people...they saved me." Lelei said as a couple more Ghosts converged on the scene.

"What happened?" Xavier asked as he ran up.

"Horse got out of control, had to put the beast down." Rayne said.

The group proceeded to evacuate the villagers in a orderly fashion out of the village of Coda, beginning their trek across thousands of miles of hard terrain. The convoy of refugees consisted of thousands of wagons holding villagers and their families being lead by a group of humvees and two LAVS that had white skulls painted on the side of each vehicle.

"How long are we gonna be traveling with these folks?" Mikayla asked.

"Only as far as across the badlands, they say that is home to some pretty big raider groups." Xavier explained.

"I thought all of the big raider bosses died up at Italica." Dante said.

"The village elder said that while the big bosses were up, several of their competitors took advantage of their destruction and seized control of their territory." Xavier said.

"A whole group of fleeing villagers is prime prey for the groups." Brian said.

"So...we're the security escort." Dante said.

The group traveled for a while, stopping to dealing with problems such as a wagon with a broken axel or pushing a wagon through thick mud. Xavier looked out his window at the scorching hot sun...

"At least the sun can still shine brighter here." Xavier said to himself.

But something was wrong, Xavier knew that as he would always have a feeling that would occur when something or someone bad was about to appear. As he looked at the sun, a small, winged dragon appeared as if it was heading towards them, until something much bigger clamped its powerful jaws down onto it...

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Xavier exclaimed before realizing what it was. "BATTLE STATIONS!" Xavier shouted to the others, realizing that the Fire Dragon was back.

The fire dragon let out a roar that made it sound as if it was a demon out of hell itself before attacking the refugees. It killed several individuals before turning it's attention to the Ghosts that were mobilizing for battle...

"Let's take out that motherfucker! GO! GO! GO!" Rayne shouted to everyone.

Xavier pointed his gun out his window, firing at it quickly, turning to the LAV to give orders...

"LAV, create a distraction, caliber!" Xavier shouted.

The LAVs opened fire on the dragon, but it had no effect on the dragon's armored scales, which Xavier tried to see a way for a weakness to use against it...

"Damn it! Why isn't it working?!" Xavier exclaimed as the dragon got ready to use its fire breath.

"Fire breath incoming!" Tyler, the LAV machine gun operator, shouted.

"MOVE!" Xavier shouted into the radio.

All of the trucks swerved out of the way of the oncoming fire breath that spewed out of the dragon's mouth, which violently sent chills down the spines of all of the Ghosts in the group, but they shrugged it off and continued to fight...

"Dang it, why isn't this working?!" Xavier exclaimed.

"Our rounds can't cut through that thing's armor!" Anthony exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

" _What the hell are we going to do?"_ Xavier thought to himself.

In that single moment, that moment when the Ghosts were staring into the eyes of a monster, a single voice was raised as the elven girl that was unconscious on the floor of the truck, wrapped in a blanket, sprang up off the floor with a look of anger on her face as she knew the sound that was heard all around her and ran up to Xavier's side...

"Eye!" The elven girl said in her native language.

"Huh? You're awake?" Xavier said.

"Eye!" The elven girl said again, pointing to her eye.

"Eye?" Xavier said, realizing what the girl was trying to explain.

He quickly looked to the dragon, studying its details around the eyes of the dragon, immediately noticing that one of the dragon's eyes was blinded by a couple of arrows that appeared to be elven in origin...

"ALL UNITS, AIM FOR THE EYES!" Xavier shouted to the others.

The group proceeded to fire on the dragon, aiming for the eyes , hitting it directly in its good eye, sending it staggering and dazed, which the Ghosts took advantage of this window of opportunity to counterattack...

"It's stopped, Cole!" Xavier shouted to the other LAV machine gun operator.

Cole pulled out a large rocket launcher and pointed it at the dragon to fire...

"Wait, shoulder check." Cole said.

"DO THAT FIRST!" Everyone shouted at him.

"All right! All right!" Cole responded.

Cole went back to his job, only for the LAV to hit a large bump, causing Cole to accidentally snatch the trigger on the launcher and fire the rocket prematurely and miss...

"It's a miss!" Xavier shouted.

Rory got up out of her seat, picked up her halberd, and proceeded to kick open the back doors of the truck, flipping up to the top of the truck. She threw the halberd with great speed, sending it spinning through the air and impacting in the ground near the dragon, in which a bolt of lightning hit it. The ground exploded in a violent manner, causing the dragon to try and step back out of the way, only for the rocket that was still flying through the air to impact and take out its right arm, which amused Rory. The dragon screamed so violently in pain before flying away with an arm missing.

"Is it over?" Dante asked as Xavier opened his door.

"Yeah, it is." Xavier said.

"You saw it too?" Dante asked Xavier.

"Yeah, I did. That thing's fire was the same shade of the Fire that night." Xavier said.

 ** _1Year Ago..._**

 **Cicero-North Syracuse Safe Zone**

 **9:30 pm**

Xavier was sitting outside of the medical tent where Dante was resting in, watching the night sky. But this night was different, as Xavier wasn't wearing a hoodie as usual nights are cold, but this time, the sky was a bright shade of orange. Anna came out of the tent with a blanket, only to see that the sky was bright...

"I thought you would be sharing the same bed with your unconscious boyfriend." Xavier remarked.

"He's passed out and on so many painkillers, he'll wake up in the morning." Anna said.

"True." Xavier said.

"Why is the sky like that?" Anna asked.

"Daniel said that the sky is lit up with actual fire, it's coming from the middle east , army technicians call them fire waves." Xavier explained.

"The fire waves are coming out of the middle East?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, COLOSSUS ignited some of the oil fields in the middle East, spewing large amounts of oil into the clouds and embers from the fires are ignited them." Xavier said.

"What happened to the OPEC nations?" Anna asked.

"They're in total chaos." Daniel said as he walked up.

"I thought you would be sleeping too." Xavier said.

"The fires had caused explosions that devastated several nearby towns, even burning large portions of neighboring cities." Daniel said.

"Was this all before the communication blackout?" Xavier asked.

"The reason that the communications went dark was because of the Fire waves, they interfere with the signals." Daniel explained.

"This is how the world ends, when a dark COLOSSUS bathes the skies of the Earth in a bright fire." Xavier said.

"Sounds poetic." Daniel said.

"Didn't Dante tell you? I have a way with words." Xavier said.

 **Present Day.**

The group and the refugees readied a series of memorials to the ones who were killed by the Fire Dragon during its attack, in which Diana recited a passage from a bible she had always carried with her at all times in case a situation that casualties were to occur. The field that they were standing in was now filled bright blue flowers that were glowing brightly, lighting up the entire area. The Ghosts stood in a line, but in which Xavier turned around to see a young girl from the refugees sobbing uncontrollably. He turned to her, resting his hand on her head and crouching down in front of her...

"Hey, who did you lose?" Xavier asked in a calming tone.

"My mom." The girl said, before starting to cry uncontrollably.

"Hey, it's okay." Xavier said, giving the girl a hug.

"Lieutenant, may I speak to you for a moment?" The village elder said.

"What is it?" Xavier asked as he walked along with him.

"I am going to be going to my granddaughter's residence in the capital, and there is a predicament that I am faced with." The elder said.

"What about the other refugees?" Xavier asked.

"They're going family that they have outside of Coda, but the predicament is that there is a group of them that have nowhere to go and the others can only look after their own." The elder explained.

"You're asking me if the Ghosts are willing to take them in." Xavier said.

"Yes, because we will tell the story of how your people saved us and we'll tell the story of your people's golden hearts and the kindness that you shared with us." The elder said.

The villagers returned to their wagons and took off to find their family members, leaving the Ghosts with a small group of refugees which consisted of Rory, a man and his wife, an elderly couple, some children who had lost their parents in the Fire Dragon attack, Kato and Lelei, and the elven girl.

"So, what are we going to do about these folks?" Dante asked.

"Under humanitarian doctrines, we are allowed to take them under the title of refugees." Xavier said.

"So we're going to be looking after them?" Dante said.

The two boys looked to the refugees, in which Xavier decided to speak...

"Don't worry, we'll look after you. You can trust us." Xavier said, which made Rory and the elven girl smile.

"Come on folks, we still have a long drive to Temple Base." Rayne said.

"I thought it was an outpost?" Xavier said.

"It was allowed to get bigger." Rayne said.

The group loaded up into the trucks, and drove off...

 **This concludes Chapter 8, in which the Ghosts had fended off the ruthless Fire Dragon, and now begin the trip to Outpost Temple with a group of refugees. The next chapter is centered on how the refugees adapt to life in a refugee camp, the young girl that Xavier consoled at the funeral of the fallen refugees grows to see him as a big brother, and the elven girl is diagnosed with something that many members of the Ghosts can relate to. Xavier is also invited to a large party by Pinya, and he stares into the eyes of the blonde-haired devil himself...**

 **WAIT AND SEE...**


	9. Chapter 9: Blonde-haired Devil in Royal

Chapter 9: Blonde-haired Devil in Royal Clothing

 **Zolzal's Estate**

 **Late in the evening**

Zolzal was infuriated by the fact that the bandits were unable to take down the Ghosts at Italica, and that a large amount of the bandits were massacred by the superior technology that the Ghosts had possessed. He wanted a way to end the Ghosts, but every solution he tried to use against them ended in a massive failure...

"Why are they not eradicated?" Zolzal said angrily.

"The Ghosts possess a power that only they can control, and it was capable to eradicate the bandits." Crispin, one of his inner circle, said.

"That power has managed to coerce a large amount of the Senate members into wanting peace." Hector, another member, said.

"We can't let the Senate make peace with these brutes." Zolzal said.

"I might have an idea in mind, but I need time to organize the details." Delvin said as Tyuule entered the room.

"Tyuule, what is it?" Zolzal asked.

"Sir, word is spreading about a recent feat of strength that the Ghosts have just carried out." Tyuule said.

"What?" Zolzal asked.

"The village of Coda just had evacuated in fear of a Fire Dragon attack after a nearby elven settlement had been destroyed. You can guess who aided in the escort." Tyuule explained.

"So they aided in an evacuation, how is that a feat of strength?" Crispin said in disbelief.

"They fended off the Fire Dragon when it had attacked them in the Badlands, saving over hundreds of lives." Tyuule said.

The four men were rendered speechless by what Tyuule had just said, a small number of Ghosts had fended off a Fire Dragon. By hearing this, they were left with only one question: WHAT ARE THE GHOSTS?

 **Temple Base**

 **4:50 pm**

The group arrived at the outpost that had transformed into a large base, which was commanded by a joint staff of over 100 Ghosts and 300 volunteers from the settlement itself, technicians from the Think tank, and engineers from the Drillers. The refugees were amazed at the construction of the base that they were standing in, in which Xavier turned to Mikayla after he noticed that the elven girl was still wrapped in a blanket...

"Can you see about getting her some clothes, we can't have her streaking through the base." Xavier said in a polite tone.

"Of course." Mikayla said.

Xavier went to the command building to speak with Commander Ashton about the matter pertaining to the refugees that they had brought in. Mikayla brought the elven girl over to the supply building, and walked up to the main desk...

"Hey Lily." Mikayla said.

"Oh hey, Mikayla, did you just get back?" Lily, the girl behind the desk said.

"Yeah, I have been busy with work." Mikayla said.

"Who's that?" Lily asked.

"( _Signalling her to come closer._ ) She's a refugee we brought in, the settlement that she had clearly called home was wiped out." Mikayla whispered.

"What?" Lily said.

"We found her unconscious at the bottom of a well." Mikayla added.

"Why is she wrapped in a blanket?" Lily asked.

"Her clothes were soaked and she was possibly entering first stage hypothermia. So we had to cut the girl's wet dress off." Mikayla explained.

"Oh." Lily said. "Well then, lets get you dressed." She added.

"Don't worry, Lily is going to get you some clothes." Mikayla explained to the nervous elven girl.

Mikayla and the elven girl followed Lily down the hall to a dressing room, in which Lily opened the door into the room...

"You can wait here, I'll be back with some clothes for her." Lily said to Mikayla.

"Sure." Mikayla responded.

Lily exited the room, leaving the elven girl alone with Mikayla as she went to get some clothes for the girl...

"You seem a little bit nervous." Mikayla pointed out after a bit.

"Sorry." The girl in broken english.

"It's alright, english can be a bit of a confusing language." Mikayla said.

"English?" The girl said.

"It's what everyone on this base speaks. I'm Mikayla, by the way." She said.

"I'm ... Tuka." The girl said in a shy tone.

"Nice to meet you." Mikayla said.

"I'm back." Lily said, entering the room with a white T-shirt, blue denim jeans, a pair of red sandals, a brown belt, and some blue undergarments folded up in her arms.

"Ok, you can get dressed, then we got to get you and the others' paperwork filled out." Mikayla said.

 **Meanwhile at the Command Building...**

 **"** Lieutenant Moore, your squad has been busy." Ashton said.

"Yes sir, that we have." Xavier said.

"Well, first you survive an assassin attack at the capital, then we aid in the defense of this region's largest strategic city and trading hub from a large bandit army, now you and Rayne's unit just aided in the evacuation of an entire village and managed to survive an encounter with a large Fire Dragon?" Ashton said.

"Yeah, that thing put up a fight." Xavier said.

"Well, your actions have given The Ghosts quite a reputation as the refugees that you saved are telling stories about how your group saved them." Ashton said.

"Really now?" Xavier said.

"Yeah, I understand that you brought back a couple of refugees with you." Ashton pointed out.

"Yes sir." Xavier said.

"Is there a reason for that?" Ashton asked.

"These people have no where else to turn to, they just survived an attack that destroyed everything they had, and the kids that were brought back are practically orphans as the Fire Dragon killed their parents during the attack." Xavier explained.

"Well then, on Humanitarian grounds, we're allowed to take them in." Ashton said.

"That's good to hear sir." Xavier said.

"But that doesn't mean that I am going to make this easy, I am placing the responsibility of taking care of them on both you and Rayne's unit." Ashton said.

"Understood." Xavier responded.

"Oh, one more thing." Ashton said.

"Yes?" Xavier asked.

"Get your suit on, you're going to a party." Xavier said.

"Hmm?" Xavier asked.

"Mr. Shepard was invited to a party by a Lord Cicero and Gravekeeper wants somebody with him in case of anything happening such as the Crown Prince trying to make a move against us by killing Shepard." Ashton explained.

"So when is the party?" Xavier said.

"In a couple of hours, which will give you plenty of time to sort out the business regarding the refugees that you brought in." Ashton said.

"Understood." Xavier said.

Xavier exited the room and proceeded to regroup with the teams to discuss a plan to handle the refugees...

"Erin, Kiana, Scrounge up some food from the mess hall for the folks." Xavier said.

"You got it."Erin said.

"Brian and I will handle getting the refugees together. Anthony and Dante, get some tents from the engineers and get them set up." Xavier said.

"Ok." Dante said.

"Hoyt and Diana, you two will handle the paperwork." Rayne ordered.

"Understood, ma'am." Hoyt said.

Both groups of the Ghosts went to work on the assignments that they were given. Xavier and Brian went to work, gathering the refugees under a nearby pavilion to get them out of the boiling sun, in which Diana and Hoyt arrived with the paperwork followed by Erin and Kiana, who were carrying a couple of boxes of food.

"Alright, these people are going to ask each of you a couple of questions about yourselves, then these two kind ladies are going to get some food in your bellies since you are probably hungry." Xavier said as a lot of the refugees' stomachs growl loudly.

"It's a good thing that the paperwork is going to be quick, they got to feed the beasts." Dante said sarcastically.

"Let's start with the elderly couple, then end with the kids." Diana said.

Diana and Hoyt immediately began to process the refugees in an orderly fashion, simply asking their names and writing them down on a list and asking them of what ailments that were afflicting them. While the refugees were being processed by Diana and Hoyt, Xavier took off to get ready for the party that he was going to be attending as the bodyguard for Ambassador Shepard.

"What's with the uniform?" Dante asked as Xavier buttoned up his shirt.

"Your dad's got me on security detail for Ambassador Shepard." Xavier explained as buttoned up his jacket.

"He's got you playing bodyguard?" Dante asked.

"Shepard got invited to a party by a Lord Cicero, so your dad has got me watching Shepard's back in case of Pinya's older brother trying to put a blade in it." Xavier explained.

"You get to go to a party while I have to play babysitter for the refugees? Lucky." Dante said in an annoyed tone.

"Moore, your ride to the Cicero estate is here." A Ghost named Reaper said as he appeared in the doorway.

"Alright." Xavier said.

Xavier walked out of the building and hopped in a jeep that sped off to the estate of Lord Cicero, leaving the group to look after the refugees...

 **Cicero Estate Gates.**

 **5:01 pm**

The jeep stopped right outside the gates of the estate that was owned by Lord Cicero, a highly influential member of the Imperial Senate and a wealthy nobleman, in which Xavier stepped out of the vehicle, wearing a formal military officer's uniform. He was greeted by Aiden Shepard, who was wearing a formal robe provided by Pinya, who was standing next to him, wearing a formal princess dress.

"Surprised to see you again, Lieutenant Moore." Aiden said.

"Commander Perez wanted me to be part of your security detail in case someone from the Anti-Peace faction tries to sink a blade in your back." Xavier explained.

"Good to see you again, Lieutenant Moore." Pinya said.

"Same to you, Princess, you look lovely today." Xavier said.

"Thank you, shall we head inside?" Pinya asked.

"Of course." Shepard said.

The trio walked up to the gates of the estate, in which the guards let the group inside. They saw nobles and their families talking amongst themselves, sipping on cups of wine and eating foods of all varieties.

"This is quite a party." Xavier said.

"I should have had your superiors inform you to have brought a second stomach." Pinya said.

"I remember a dietary plan that the Ghosts have." Xavier said.

"In our world, the military always upheld a dietary plan for their soldiers to stay in peak condition." Shepard explained.

"So your military valued soldiers who were in peak physical condition." Pinya said.

But as they walked along the yard, a little girl in a pink and red dress was hurrying along but only to accidentally bump right into Xavier and fall on her butt...

"Oww." The girl said.

"Hey, you alright?" Xavier asked.

"Huh?" The girl said as she looked at the strange boy.

"Would you like some help with getting up?" Xavier asked, holding out his hand.

"Yes, please." The girl said.

Xavier helped the girl to her feet, even helping her with wiping off some dirt that got on her clothes.

"Sherry, you need to be careful." Pinya said.

"Sorry, Princess." Sherry said as her mother came running up.

"Sherry! Are you alright?" Her mother asked.

"I'm fine." Sherry said.

"Mrs. Tyueri, your daughter is a free spirit, she just wanted to meet our new guests." Pinya said.

"I see." Sherry's mother said.

"Ambassador Shepard, Lieutenant Moore, this is Lady Abigail Tyueri of the Tyueri Family." Pinya said.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Xavier said.

" Abigail, this is Aiden Shepard, Ambassador to the world beyond the Gate, and his escort, First Lieutenant Xavier Moore of the Ghosts." Xavier said.

"A member of the Ghosts, here?" Abigail said in an amazed tone.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Xavier asked in a humored tone.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting a skilled warrior to be so young." Abigail explained.

"Trust me, a young warrior is worth in equal weight as an older one." Xavier said as Abigail's husband, Lord Victor Tyueri, came walking over.

"Dear, who are you talking to?" Victor said.

"Just Princess Pinya and her guests, one of the the ambassadors of the world beyond the Gate and his escort." Abigail explained.

"Ah, you must be Ambassador Shepard." Victor said, shaking Aiden's hand.

"It's and honor to meet you, sir." Aiden said.

"This is his protector, First Lieutenant Xavier Moore of the Ghosts." Pinya explained.

"He is one of the soldiers who participated in the battle of Italica and the fight against the Fire Dragon." Abigail explained to her husband.

"Really? It's an honor to meet such a great warrior, Lieutenant Moore." Victor said in an honored tone.

"The honor is mine, sir, some people back in Italica spoke highly of you." Xavier said.

"Is it true? That you and those soldiers that accompanied you actually wounded a fire dragon?" Victor asked.

"Yes sir, but the bastard took a lot of innocent lives." Xavier said in an angered tone.

"That upsets you?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, all Ghosts hate seeing innocent people die in the middle of a fight that the Ghosts are trying to stop, as we believe that the people are a valuable asset to a nation." Xavier said.

"There is wisdom in those words, if there were more people who have that same perception of the world." Victor said.

"Well, you are probably hungry." Abigail said.

"That is true ma'am." Xavier said with a slight chuckle after his stomach growled loudly.

The group proceeded to get some food and drinks and then sat down around a table to talk amongst themselves, though the main topics of discussion were about Earth...

"So tell me, what is your world like?" Victor asked.

"It was once a peaceful world, a world with locations that would have left you awe-struck by their beauty." Aiden said.

"Was?" Abigail asked.

"Their world was devastated by an event known as COLOSSUS Day." Pinya explained.

"What?" Victor said.

"Oh my God." Abigail said in a shocked tone.

"What happened?" Victor asked.

"Years ago, the combined efforts of a organization known as the United nations developed a new weapons system that was called COLOSSUS, in which the weapon could drop a heavy, metal rod from the sky with great speed, devastating the area that the rod impacted in." Aiden said.

"You could almost say that is was "death from above." Xavier said.

"But something went wrong?" Abigail asked.

"Yes, a passing comet damaged a facility that we had built to control COLOSSUS, in which it accidentally activated the weapon, causing it to fire on the world's largest nations, completely obliterating the world's international infrastructure." Aiden said.

"World governments collapsed, and the local governments of the nations couldn't stay together for long." Xavier said.

"My god." Victor said, taking a sip of his wine.

"Now, the survivors of the event either live in walled settlements or roam the land in the form of degenerate raider tribes." Aiden explained.

"The expedition force was massacred by two of the degenerate raider tribes that Ambassador Shepard spoke of." Pinya said.

"What were the tribes that massacred the expedition force named?" Victor asked.

"They called themselves the Howlers and The Blood Riders." Xavier explained.

"Sounds like they were animals." Abigail said in a disgusted tone.

"Yes they were, but we wiped the two tribes out." Xavier said.

"Their banners now decorate the palace trophy room." Pinya explained.

The group watched as people got up to socialize with Lord Cicero, was a tall, grizzled gentleman with short tan hair...

"That is Lord Cicero, a member of a Senate party known as the Hawks." Victor said.

"Where does he stand on the matter pertaining to us?" Xavier asked.

"He is open to the idea of having negotiations with your people, but he will be hostile if you give him a reason to be." Abigail said.

"You can finish your meal, I'll let him know that you're here." Pinya said to Aiden.

"Of course." Aiden said.

After finishing up his food, Aiden and Xavier met with Lord Cicero in a small meeting room inside the estate itself, ready to talk...

"Lord Cicero, allow me to introduce you to Aiden Shepard, Ambassador for the world beyond the Gate, and his escort, First Lieutenant Xavier Moore of the Ghosts." Pinya said.

"It is an honor, sir." Aiden said.

"The honor is mine, stories about your people are popular among the staff here at my home." Cicero said.

"I see." Aiden said.

"Pinya has told me some details about your world, all except for one." Cicero said.

"You decided to leave out some details about our world, Pinya?" Xavier asked.

"I thought it would be better that he heard about it from people who have experienced the same devastating event." Pinya explained.

"Ah." Xavier said, realizing that he knew what she had not told him.

"Tell me, Ambassador Shepard, What is this COLOSSUS Day?" Cicero asked.

"Then we are going to be needing a strong drink after the story I am about to tell you." Aiden said.

Cicero sat back as Aiden told him the story of COLOSSUS Day, in which Xavier shared with him the details of the hell year that followed COLOSSUS Day. Cicero was showing two different emotions at the same time, shock at how COLOSSUS devastated the entire world, and respect for the people who had survived the destruction and endured the world that was lain in front of them...

"You've been rather quiet as I told you the story, Lord Cicero." Aiden said.

"I'm sorry, it's just that, your world has been decimated and yet you remain strong." Cicero said in a surprised tone.

"Where we come from, you learn to endure and adapt, in which you can become stronger than ever before." Xavier said.

"We both were born in a state called New York, and one of the rules was when something knocks you down in a fight, you must get right back on your feet." Aiden said.

"Well, I hope you two will enjoy the rest of the party, I will share your story with my associates when I meet with them again at the earliest opportunity." Cicero said.

"Thank you, sir." Aiden said.

As Lord Cicero returned to the party, Xavier and Aiden conversed with Pinya on the results of the meeting...

"He is quite civil." Aiden said.

"Cicero can be a civilized man, but also a fierce fighter when it comes to matters pertaining to the empire or his family." Pinya explained.

"Well, having an influential member of the Imperial Senate as a friend can be helpful." Xavier said as an elven servant came over to Pinya and whispered something into her ear.

"Ambassador Shepard, we must hide you." Pinya said in a worried tone.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"My brother has been spotted charging down the road with some of his associates, if they see either one of you here, they will kill you." Pinya said.

"Is this the same brother that was with you on your expedition to our world, Pinya?" Aiden asked.

"No, I think she's talking about the one who had sent assassins to kill us the night at the palace." Xavier said.

"Oh, him." Aiden said.

"Pinya, hide the Ambassador, I can hide myself well." Xavier said.

"Will do, but-" Pinya said after having some guards whisk Shepard away.

Pinya was left speechless at the fact that Xavier had vanished from her sight, just as she ordered the guards to hide Ambassador Shepard from the scene so Zolzal couldn't find him. She went out to the grounds to face her brother and his group, in which she was approached by the blonde haired devil himself...

"Pinya, I'm surprised that you were invited to a party when I was not." Zolzal said.

"Lord Cicero thought you were busy when he was putting the invite list together." Pinya said.

"True, he must have sent a letter of invitation, but I failed to see it." Zolzal figured.

"Aside from that, what are you doing here?" Pinya asked.

"I heard rumors that one of the enemy ambassadors was going to be here, where is he?" Zolzal demanded.

"Brother, why are you treating them like an enemy?" Pinya asked as she spotted the sleeve of Xavier's jacket move behind a noble.

"They are not like us, sister, by all accounts in my book, they are the enemy." Zolzal said.

"They were the ones who saved me and Diabo from raiders." Pinya said.

"You will see that looks will be deceiving." Zolzal said.

After a couple of minutes, Zolzal and his group left the estate grounds with a couple of snacks, leaving Pinya to stand there as their horses took off with great speed.

"Man, he really is an asshole." Xavier said.

"Gah, where did you just come from?" Pinya said in a startled tone.

"One rule of being a Ghost, always be one step ahead of your opponents and walk in the shadows." Xavier said.

"I see." Pinya said.

"We should probably go tell Ambassador Shepard that hide and seek is over." Xavier said jokingly.

"Yes, we shall." Pinya said with a slight chuckle.

 **This concludes Chapter 9, as Xavier was attending a party that was hosted by Lord Cicero in which Zolzal appeared, but wasn't anywhere to be found by Zolzal himself or his lackeys. One of the crucial components of the training of the Ghosts is stealth, which is the central focus of two of the Ghost units, The Silent Knights and The Eagles. Stealth is also a central role in the training of the Night Witches as well. The next chapter will start off with the refugee camp being completed, but also Zolzal will learn of the plan that his lackeys have been compiling together...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	10. Chapter 10: Sheep

Chapter 10: The Sheep steals the Wolf's pelt.

 **Temple Base Refugee Camp**

 **5:30pm**

The construction crews had just completed the refugee housing for the base refugees, in which Dante had gathered the refugees in front of the large buildings to brief them on the new housing...

"Listen up, this is your new home, you will find that each of the buildings have your last name is just outside the door." Dante explained.

"What is he saying Lelei?" Kato asked.

"He's explaining that these buildings are our new homes now." Lelei explained.

"You can understand what he is saying?" Kato said.

"I am working on learning the language." Lelei explained.

The meeting concluded, in which Dante had a few members of the Think tank show the folks to the rooms, in which Isabel Cruz, a Think tank member, showed Kato and Lelei to their own room. What was inside the room was a set of cots that had blue blankets made over them, pillows with white cases over them. The room was large, clean, and very spacious.

"This room is very big." Kato said.

"The room was designed to be the appropriate size for your materials, but you are warned not to ignite any flames." Isabel explained.

"I'll make sure that he won't be doing that." Lelei said.

"Good girl, make sure that he won't be starting fires." Isabel said.

As the refugees settled in, Dante and Rayne were talking about security measures when a truck carrying Xavier and Aiden arrived and the two men stepped out each with a look that meant something happened...

"So, how was the party?" Dante asked.

"We had a visit from the older brother that wants us wiped out." Xavier said.

"Prince Zolzal was at the party?" Rayne asked .

"More like showed up uninvited and ready to kill us if he found us." Aiden said.

"Did the feelers find out anything about the Prince?" Xavier asked Rayne.

"Aside from being an asshole, he's a well-known sadist, brute, and he's arrogant." Rayne said.

"So he is a class-one basket case. Great." Xavier said.

"He is also a highly influential member of the Imperial Senate, in which he is the leader of the Anti-Peace faction." Rayne said.

"So he is the leader of the Anti-Peace faction." Aiden said.

"How's the refugees?" Xavier asked.

"We just got them settled in." Dante said.

"Good, our efforts should be focused on identifying Zolzal's intentions and how to ensure peace between the Empire and Us." Xavier said.

"I spoke to my dad, things are going good back home." Dante said.

"How's things?" Xavier asked.

"After we wiped out the Blood Riders and Howlers, the ones who were lucky enough to have survived were picked off by the other tribes. A few other tribes have abandoned their own ways and have entered into an alliance with the Ghosts." Dante said.

"Which tribes have entered the alliance?" Xavier asked.

"The Damned 300, The War Party, The House of Serpents, The Saints, and The Children of the Wolf." Rayne explained.

"The biggest heavy hitters, of course they would bend knee to us after we eradicate the biggest dogs on the block." Xavier said as Rory walked over.

"Hello, Lieutenant Moore." Rory said with a smile.

"Hello, Rory, how do you like your new home?" Xavier asked.

"It is large, spacious, and suits my standards." Rory said.

"Well, that's good to hear." Xavier said.

"Anyway, I have been been meaning to talk to you." Rory said.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"It is about our elven resident, miss Tuka Luna Marceau." Rory said.

"What about her?" Rayne asked.

"She has been acting oddly, and my associate Lelei La Lelena agrees with me." Rory explained.

"How has she been acting oddly?" Dante asked.

"She has been requesting clothes for a man, and rations for two." Rory explained.

"Maybe she has an imaginary boyfriend that she is waiting for." Dante said.

"Not exactly." Xavier said.

"What do you mean?" Rayne asked.

"Do you remember that guy who kept thinking his wife was going to be coming to Sanctuary?" Xavier said.

"Yeah, I do." Rayne said.

"Yeah, turned out that the guy had a rare case of PTSD, as he was constantly denying the fact that his wife died defending him." Dante said.

"Didn't he end up running off and was killed by the bandits that prowled No Man's land?" Dante said.

"Yeah, he was trying to avenge his wife's death." Xavier said.

"Has she mentioned anyone that she has been waiting for?" Rayne asked.

"Lelei told me that she has been waiting for her father to come here." Rory said.

"Then that explains it, Her father was killed by the Fire Dragon when it hit her home settlement, and she witnessed it right in front of her, so she has been heavily traumatized by the incident." Xavier figured.

"I had some of the Think tank eggheads analyze some of the samples we collected from our first encounter with the beast." Dante said.

"You mean the arm that we blew off?" Xavier pointed out.

"Yeah, it was surprisingly intact." Rayne said.

"Anyway, what did they learn?" Xavier asked.

"The thing has armor as thick as tungsten, and the flames it can produce have temperatures that exceed 3000 degrees Fahrenheit." Dante explained.

"So it's a tank with wings, great." Xavier said.

"Aside from that, what was Lord Cicero's opinion on the matter pertaining to us?" Dante asked.

"He seemed to pity us, but he was open to the idea of the Ghosts being allies with the Empire." Xavier said.

"So he's willing to make peace with us?" Rayne asked.

"Yeah, he is, he also was going to bring the matter up with his associates in the Senate." Xavier said.

"Sounds like we're already making friends." Rayne said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that our work isn't done, we still have to deal with the fact that the Crown Prince wants us wiped out." Xavier said.

"Zolzal is capable of anything, he wants us to be wiped out, so I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to force us and the Empire into a war." Rayne said.

"We should inform your dad about this guy, there is a possibility that he will try anything to ignite a war, he may try taking him out and frame his death on someone in the Empire." Xavier said.

"Good idea." Dante said.

As they conversed with each other, Xavier noticed out of the corner of his eye Lelei walking around, looking at the armored vehicles that were sitting in a fenced area.

"Are you curious?" Xavier asked.

"Yes." Lelei said.

"You can speak English?" Xavier said.

"I am learning." Lelei said.

"That's good, one crucial element of cooperation between worlds is proper communication." Xavier said.

"That's understandable." Lelei said.

"Are you curious about these?" Xavier said, pointing to the vehicles.

"Yes." Lelei said.

"I can give you the tour if you're interested." Xavier said, with Lelei nodding yes.

As Xavier walked Lelei through the vehicle lot of the base, Dante and Rayne went to work on the assignments that they were given. But while the pieces on the board moved into position, Zolzal began to make his move on the Ghosts...

 **Zolzal Estate**

 **6:01 pm.**

Zolzal and Tyuule were sitting in the courtyard of his personal estate and basking in the sun, in which his associates came walking towards him...

"What do you three want?" Zolzal said.

"Do you remember that plan we discussed?" Hector said.

"Yes, you said that you were busy with sorting out the details." Zolzal said.

"Well we have them in play." Delvin said.

"What do you mean?" Zolzal asked.

"We have agents who are observing the Ghosts, learning their behavior and skills..." Delvin said.

"Then, we assassinate one of them and steal his uniform, in which we sabatoge them from the inside." Crispin said.

"You would be a wolf in sheep's clothing." Hector said.

"So I have to be the infiltrator?" Zolzal pointed out.

"We know that you to be hands on when it comes to these matters." Crispin said.

"These people have swayed your sister and nearly half of the Senate into seeking peace with them. You would be a hero for stopping them." Delvin said.

"He's telling the truth." Tyuule said.

Zolzal pondered what his associates had just shared with him, infiltrating the Ghosts and sabotaging their advanced technology so that when the Empire would go to war with the people of Earth, they would have the upper hand in the war.

"Alright, that is a sound idea." Zolzal said.

"Very good, sir." Hector said.

"We'll look for a soldier among their ranks that has your exact physical build so we can acquire his uniform." Crispin said.

"We'll also study the way that these "Ghosts" behave so that you can blend in among them." Delvin added.

"Good, let me know when you have what we need." Zolzal said.

The three men left the courtyard, searching for what they needed to accomplish the plan for sabotaging the Ghosts and igniting a war between the Ghosts and the Empire. While Zolzal and his followers conspired to get the Empire to go to war with the people of the world beyond the Gate, The Ghosts of Temple Base helped the refugees in the process of adapting to their new home...

 **Temple Base Refugee Camp**

 **6:30 pm**

Tuka was sitting at a table outside with Kato and Rory, though Kato had fallen asleep while he had been sitting there. Rory noticed that something had greatly disturbed her to the point where Rory decided to ask her what it was...

"Tuka, are you alright?" Rory asked.

"Heh?" Tuka said.

"I was asking if you were alright?" Rory said.

"I'm just a little bit concerned." Tuka said.

"About what?" Rory asked.

"About how long we can rely on the charity of the Ghosts." Tuka said.

"All they have done for us is give us a new home." Rory said.

"But how will we support ourselves when the charity of the Ghosts comes to an end?" Tuka asked as a hazard suit wearing individual appeared behind them.

"What the?" Rory said as Tuka let out a gasp.

"I'm sorry, I was curious about what this was." Lelei said as she pulled off the mask.

"Just be careful next time, okay?" Rory said.

"Okay, Tuka, I have a solution to your problem. Follow me." Lelei said.

"Where are we going?" Tuka asked as Lelei handed over the hazard suit to a Ghost as they walked towards the east side of the base.

"You'll see." Lelei said as they turned past the fence.

Tuka and the others saw over hundreds of winged dragon corpses all over the fields of the base's eastern perimeter. Tuka's jaw dropped with excitement while Lelei held up a violet scale to the sun.

"Where did all these winged dragon corpses come from?" Rory asked.

"They came from fighting between the Ghosts and local mercenary forces after they were dispatched to attack the base as it was developing." Lelei explained.

"Winged Dragon Scales fetch a high price!" Tuka said in a tone of realization.

"We won't have to do anything risky to support ourselves." Lelei said.

"Some of the corpses are missing." Rory pointed out.

"Think Tank eggheads took some of them for analysis." A voice said behind them.

The girls spun around to see Xavier and Dante walking towards them, the boys were wearing black T-shirts and Camouflage pants and their boots, with work gloves on...

"What are you two doing here?" Tuka asked.

"Keegan said you three were coming over here after Lelei walked around with one of our hazmat suits." Xavier said.

"I was curious about what the suit was." Lelei explained.

"Anyway, I saw a merchant in Italica selling winged dragon scales for a pretty high price." Xavier explained.

"I learned how to properly "relieve the dead dragons of their scales" from a scale collector in Italica as well." Dante said.

"So you are going to help us?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, we wouldn't be proper New York gentlemen if we didn't." Xavier said.

"Okay, so how will we approach this?" Tuka asked.

"Me and Dante will start off over here, you girls start over there, we'll meet up at the middle, then push towards the fence." Xavier explained.

"Okay." Lelei said.

Each group went to work on collecting the scales of the winged dragons, in which Xavier and Dante decided to talk to each other...

"Did you hear?" Xavier asked.

"Hear what?" Dante asked as he cut off a scale.

"Apparently, the survivors of Japan are relocating to the U.S." Xavier explained.

"Really? The folks from Japan are relocating to the U.S.?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, apparently their own environment is destabilizing faster than expected." Xavier said as he cut off two more scales.

"How bad has it gotten?" Dante asked.

"The island is starting to fall bit by bit into the sea. The storms are getting worse, the radiation produced by the Gamma storms is killing the soil so they can't even grow crops." Xavier explained.

"My god, how long do they have?" Dante asked as he cut off another set of scales.

"Less than a month, but the situation has been deteriorating." Xavier said.

"What's going to be done about them?" Dante asked.

"The civilians will be integrated into the other settlements, but the JSDF are sending a task force of their soldiers to bolster the ranks here." Xavier explained as he cut off another set of scales.

They finished with the scales of the winged dragon that they were working on, moving on to another corpse, then onto another. After a couple of hours of back-breaking work, they collected and washed over 200 winged dragon scales. They bagged the scales up, loading them up into a truck and drove off to Italica to trade them.

 **Italica Markets**

 **6:51 pm**

The markets of Italica were thriving and prosperous despite the scars of the battle that took place only just a couple of hours ago. People from all over the country were trading goods, soldiers from the Empire patrolled the streets, and merchants welcomed any who would purchase their goods. But as the girls had gone off to trade the scales, the boys were immediately getting recognized by the civilians of the city...

"ARE YOU FIRST LIEUTENANT XAVIER MOORE?!" A civilian said with excitement.

"Yes, I am." Xavier said, sounding a little annoyed.

The civilian ran off with an enormous smile on their face as they had just experienced a meeting with one of the saviors of Italica. Both of the boys were getting overwhelmed by the constant stream of civilians rushing up to them just to meet one of the saviors of Italica as they graced the people of the city of Italica with their presence. Xavier was signing a book that a young girl ran up to him with, when he noticed a cat-eared girl getting harrassed by a group of thugs...

"Leave me alone, nya!" The girl said.

"Why not? We're just trying to show you a good time." The lead thug said.

"Let go, nya!" The girl exclaimed.

Xavier pulled down his mask, drew his M9 and walked up to the lead thug silently putting the gun up to his head...

"When a gun is put up to your head, there is only one question that you should ask yourself, do you know what it is?" Xavier said in a frightening tone.

"I... I do not." The lead thug said in a trembling voice.

"It's simple: Do you feel lucky? Well do you? Punk?" Xavier said. "Because bub, the cards are not in your favor." He said.

The lead thug slowly turned around to see that a member of the Ghosts holding him at gunpoint, in which the rest of the group got ready to attack him, which Xavier took notice of...

"You better leash your puppies because you'll die first you hear, your friends might get me in a rush, but not before I turn your head into a canoe." Xavier said in a frightening tone.

"Boys, let's get out of here!" The thug screamed.

The thugs ran away from the Ghost that was holding their leader at gunpoint, which had left the cat-girl amazed at how one young man was able to strike fear into the hearts of the thugs...

"You alright?" Xavier asked as he holstered his sidearm and pulled up his mask.

"Yes, they were going to be causing me trouble when I have work to do." The girl said as she got to her feet.

"You a Maid?" Xavier asked, noticing her uniform.

"Yes, I work up at the Formar estate." The girl said.

"You clearly know who I am so I won't have to worry about introductions." Xavier said.

"Yes, Lieutenant Moore, I am Persia, one of the maids at the Formar Estate." The girl said.

"Nice to meet you, Persia." Xavier said.

"Who are you talking to?" Dante asked as he walked up.

"Just one of the maids from the Formar Estate, helped her out of a spot of trouble." Xavier explained.

"That's understandable." Dante said with a smirk.

"What's so funny, Smartass?" Xavier said.

"Oh, nothing, just that you are always saving the damsel in distress." Dante remarked.

Xavier responded to his snotty remark by smacking Dante on the back of the head, which led to an argument between the two boys while Persia giggled at the sight of the boys arguing with each other. The girls came over after selling the scales of the winged dragons to one of the merchants in the city, coming back with not just money but also intelligence on the local markets. They finished with their conversation with Persia, then hopped in the truck and drove back to the base. But as they drove along the highway, a sinister plot was about to unfold...

 **Temple Base**

 **Later that evening...**

Reaver was making his route along the perimeter of the base, carrying his suppressed MP5 in his right hand. He was turning past his next stop on his route, when he decided to take a drink from his canteen as it was a warm evening...

"Well now Reaver, did you expect to be on patrol on a hot evening? I think not." Reaver said to himself.

As he took a drink from his canteen, something was off as the water that he had just drank was tasting sour and bitter. He then felt chills going up and down his spine, his hand that was holding onto his canteen was beginning to shake uncontrollably. His sight began to become blurry and distorted, his skin was turning pale, in which he collapsed immediately and began to shake uncontrollably like he was having a seizure.

 _ **3 minutes later...**_

Crispin walked up to the body of Reaver, who was now dead from the poison that was inside the water of his canteen. Crispin was followed by Zolzal and two other men in cloaks...

"Who knew that the Zenthril was this effective?" Zolzal said.

"I'm surprised that Tyuule was able to get her hands on the stuff." Crispin said.

"Have you made a cover story for why I am going to be gone?" Zolzal asked.

"Yes, you will be visiting some friends in Elbe, and you will be gone for a couple of weeks." Crispin said.

"In that time period, I will have infiltrated the Ghosts and begun to sabatoge their own weapons." Zolzal said.

"You will be a lion among the sheep." Crispin said.

But as the two men that were accompanying the Prince and his associate moved Reaver's body, they were unaware of a Ghost looking down the scope of a sniper rifle, watching as they moved the body of a murdered Ghost.

"So the sheep has stolen the pelt of a wolf." The Ghost said.

 **This concludes Chapter 10, with the murder of Reaver, and the theft of his body and uniform by Zolzal and Crispin. But the theft of the body was witnessed by another member of the Ghosts, and this individual's identity will be hinted towards through out the story. The next chapter will start off with Zolzal trying to sabatoge the high-tech drones that the Ghosts have in their arsenal, and the mysterious Ghost intervening in a manner that Zolzal would never see coming. Lelei becomes an asset to the Ghosts as she aids them in the investigation of the murder of Reaver, and another familiar face from the series will be revealed.**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	11. Chapter 11: moves and counter-moves

**Chapter 11: Moves and Counter-moves**

 **Temple Base**

 **The Next morning...**

The Ghosts of Temple Base were moving around the base in order to get ready for the arrival of the JSDF forces that were going to be bolstering the staff of the base over the course of the negotiations between the Ghosts and the Empire. The JSDF'S green trucks poured out of the Gate and drove towards the base in which a man in full combat gear stepped out of the lead truck to greet Commander Ashton...

"It's been a long time, Hazama." Ashton said.

"Yes it has, Raymond." Lieutenant General Hazama said in a humored tone.

"So you are going to be bolstering the staff here?" Ashton asked.

"Yes, Perez said that you were going to be needing some extra help with operating here." Hazama said.

"Well, it's good that we have some experienced help on station." Ashton said.

"We also brought Suragawa with us to help out the envoys." Hazama said as a suited man exited a truck.

"They'll greatly appreciate it. Lieutenant Moore can show him to where they are." Ashton said as he signaled XavieIr.

"So this is the infamous Death Hound and one of Perez's finest." Hazama said as Xavier walked behind Ashton.

"Yes, sir." Xavier said.

"Darryl says that he is one of the best sharpshooters under his command." Ashton explained.

"Well, consider it my pleasure to meet one of the most decorated Ghosts." Hazama said as he shook Xavier's hand.

"Yeah, it is, sir." Xavier said before walking away with Suragawa.

Ashton and Hazama talked with each other to catch up with lost time since they were unable to contact each other since the devastation caused by COLOSSUS . Xavier and Suragawa were walking over to the building that was housing the Ambassadors. They passed by Reaver, who was exiting the truck storage area, in which Xavier returned after dropping off Suragawa. He walked along the rows of military-issue vehicles, until he stepped into something that was moistening the soil, so he grabbed a roller bed and a patch kit and rolled under the truck where the liquid was flowing out from under of.

"You can make a move, but there will always be a counter-move to defend." Xavier said to himself as he repaired a cut fuel line.

 **The previous evening...**

 **Temple Base Perimeter.**

 **9:30 pm**

Xavier was walking on patrol with his suppressed sniper rifle in hand, and he was tracking an animal that was causing the base sensors to act up. He was walking on a dirt trail, following a series of abnormally large tracks.

"Temple, this is Kingpin, I am currently on the trail of what was setting off the sensors." Xavier said.

" _Copy that, Kingpin, what had caused the sensor flare up is 30 meters ahead."_ An operator on the radio said.

"Understood, going radio silent until further notice." Xavier said.

Xavier walked along the trail, keeping his weapon at the ready in case of anything happening such as the target making a surprise appearance when he least expected it. He arrived at a small clearing, in which he came face to face with the target. It was a tall, green-skinned goblin wielding a large piece of a tree that it carried as a make-shift club, standing still and zoned out.

"That's right, just keep looking that way." Xavier said under his breath.

Xavier pointed his gun at the goblin, carefully squeezing the trigger. The round sped out of the barrel of the rifle, and blowing a large hole in the back of the head of the goblin, with its blood spewing out of the opening on the front of the goblin's head. Xavier pulled out a small notebook, turned to a page with a series of numbers on it, writing down the number 3,486. Xavier used the notebook to catalog all of his kills, in which the majority of the kills he accumulated were of bandits that he killed during his time in the militants before they became the Ghosts.

"Temple, this is Kingpin, target eliminated." Xavier said.

" _Copy that, return to base._ " The operator on the radio said.

But Xavier was distracted by something, the sound of a horse on the move. He trailed the sound, which lead closer to the base in which he was curious to see why someone was riding a horse towards the Ghosts' base of operations. Taking a position at a small overlook , he looked down the scope of his rifle, but saw a sight that had angered him. He saw Zolzal and one of his inner circle members standing over the body of a Ghost...

"Let's see how your acting skills are, because I will not be the one to spark a war because I attacked you without a reason to." Xavier said to himself.

 **Present Day.**

Xavier had just patched up the damaged fuel line of a truck that was cut by an unknown saboteur that may have been sent by Zolzal. He was in the middle of hanging back up the roller bed and washing the oil off his hands. While he was doing that, his friend Amanda walked up behind him...

"Hey, Xavier?" Amanda asked.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"I need you to help us out with a situation." Amanda explained.

"What's the situation?" Xavier asked.

"One of the refugees found a body in one of the trenches lining the perimeter." Amanda explained.

"A body?" Xavier said.

"I need you to help me with the matter, and try to find the killer." Amanda said.

"I will see what I can do." Xavier said.

Amanda was relieved by the fact that Xavier was going to be helping in the investigation of the murder. She lead him over to the coroner's building where the body was being held at, and lead him into a room that had two armed guards posted outside the room. Inside the room was Kerrigan and two other examiners standing over a lacerated body that was coated in dirt and grass from the trench...

"So this is our cadaver." Xavier said.

"Yep." Kerrigan said.

"Do we have a cause of death?" He asked.

"Unknown toxin in his system, killed him in minutes." Arnold, one of the examiners, said.

"We believe that the toxin that killed him isn't native to our world, so that means it had come from this side of the Gate." Davis, the other examiner, said.

"So how did a toxin that is native to this side of the Gate get into his system?" Xavier asked.

"He drank it , we had discovered traces of the toxin in a canteen that he was holding onto." Kerrigan said.

"Do we know anyone who can identify the toxin?" Xavier asked.

"We don't know." Arnold said.

"I think we have someone who can identify the toxin." Amanda said.

"Really?" Kerrigan asked.

"One of the Think tank eggheads said that one of the refugees was a bit of a whiz when it came to alchemical studies." Amanda explained.

"Who's the refugee?" Xavier asked.

"Lelei La Lelena, the student of that elderly sorcerer Kato." Amanda explained.

"Let's bring her into the investigation as a consultant." Xavier said.

"I'll bring her in." Amanda said.

"Does Commander Ashton know about this?" Xavier asked.

"We have not told him yet." Davis said.

"I'll tell him about this, just make sure that Miss La Lelena agrees to help us." Xavier said.

 **Forests outside the base**

 **9:30 am**

Lelei was outside the base in the middle of a large clearing in the woods, training to use her magic with Kato watching from atop a large rock. She was holding onto a chemistry book that was given to her by a member of the Think Tank, and was casting magic that had seemed to be enhanced by the knowledge that was stored in the book.

"Well done, Lelei, your magic is getting stronger." Kato commented.

"The knowledge that the people of the world beyond the Gate have has been beneficiary to my progress." Lelei said.

"This Think Tank organization possess knowledge that surpasses the knowledge of our own world." Kato said as Amanda walked up.

"Excuse me, Miss La Lelena?" Amanda asked.

"Yes." Lelei said.

"I would like your insight for an investigation that is being carried out." Amanda said.

"An investigation?" Lelei said in a confused tone.

"It must be regarding the body that was found by those poor children." Kato said.

"How are the children doing?" Amanda asked.

"They're a little shaken up by the discovery." Kato explained.

"Why do you need my insight?" Lelei asked.

"The man was killed by an unknown toxin in his system that seems to be native to this world." Amanda explained.

"You are a pro when it comes to alchemical studies, maybe you can help them out." Kato said to his student.

Lelei and Kato walked back to the base with Amanda, dropping off Kato at the residence area, while Lelei walked with Amanda over to the coroner's building. They arrived to see Commander Ashton standing over the body of the man, along with Xavier, Kerrigan, and the other examiners.

"The murderers lacerated his face so we can't identify him." Xavier said.

"Cunning bastards." Ashton said angrily.

"Sir, I brought in Miss Lelena as you requested." Amanda said.

"Excellent, Lelei, please follow me." Xavier said, showing Lelei to an image on a computer.

Lelei followed Xavier, in which she saw an image of a black-green material coating blood vessels, which had Lelei amazed at the fact that the Ghosts have more experience on the physical body than the wisest minds in all of the city of Rondel.

"Can you identify the toxin?" Ashton asked.

"Yes." Lelei said.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"It is Zenthril, a toxic plant life that is native to the region surrounding the city of Rondel." Lelei explained.

"What's going on down here?" Itami asked.

"Oh First Lieutenant, what are you doing here?" Ashton asked.

"Hazama wants to talk to you, and is that a dead body?" Itami asked.

"Yes, yes it is." Lelei said.

"Moore, I want you to help Lieutenant Picciott on this investigation, Miss La Lelena, you can help if you want to." Ashton said.

"Of course, Commander." Lelei said as Ashton left the room with Itami.

"Anyway, you seem to know a lot about this Zenthril?" Xavier said.

" I have studied the history of the plant, it was responsible for the biggest disaster in the Empire's history." Lelei explained.

"What happened?" Xavier asked.

"It was originally mistaken for a rare herb, but it ended up being responsible for several hundred deaths in the Empire and the Vassal states." Lelei explained.

"That event gives a whole new meaning to killer cooking." Xavier said sarcastically.

Lelei gave him a look that meant she didn't like the comment that he had made, in which he immediately apologized for the remark. The group immediately went to work on the matter of identifying the dead man that was lying in their morgue.

 _ **30 minutes later...**_

After a while, the computer let out a beep that meant that the identity of the dead man has been confirmed and ready for them to see. The group immediately huddled around the computer to see the results, looking at a Caucasian male in a U.S army uniform that had survived COLOSSUS Day and was eventually salvaged from a military database that was salvaged from the ruins of Fort Drum...

"Who is Samuel Roberts?" Lelei asked.

"Guys..." Xavier said with a tone of realization developing.

"Xavier, do you know who this is?" Kerrigan asked.

"Yes, I do. This poor guy is one of our own." Xavier said.

"You mean?" Amanda said in a shocked tone.

"Yes, he's a Ghost." Xavier said.

A look of shock overwhelmed the Ghosts inside the room, as they have just identified the body of an unknown man as a member of the Ghosts...

"We need to inform Commander Ashton immediately." Amanda said.

"We can't, otherwise the killer would go into hiding before we could do anything." Xavier said.

"We have a dead brother in arms right in front of us and you want to do nothing?!" Amanda said in an agitated tone.

"I didn't say that, we can inform Ashton, but we are going to play gullible so the killer will think that they are safe." Xavier said.

"Then we force him out in the open." Lelei said.

The group concluded their discussion in which they had developed a plan of action to deal with the fact that someone was moving around the base wearing a Ghost's uniform after they had murdered the owner. Xavier was walking Lelei back to the refugee housing area when he noticed that smoke coming from the Drone storage building, so he immediately raced inside the building with Lelei following.

"What's going on?" Lelei asked.

"Somebody may have started a fire in the building." Xavier said in an agitated tone while grabbing a fire extinguisher.

They raced to the back of the building, finding a drone that was overheating as its rotors were spinning way too fast. Xavier immediately cut the power to the drone, using the extinguisher to put out a small internal fire that started...

"Son of a bitch." Xavier muttered under his breath.

"What is this technology?" Lelei asked, looking at the drone.

"Oh, you're curious." Xavier said in a polite tone.

"Yes, your people wield incredible machines, many of our people believe that the technology is simply iron creatures that followed your commands." Lelei said.

"Well, these are drones, they can be used for different purposes." Xavier said.

While Xavier was giving Lelei a lesson on drones, Lelei secretly began to see the young Ghost that was standing in front of her as an older brother and bit of a mentor. But she knew that Kato was her mentor when it comes to magic. Xavier called in a technician to to repair the damaged drone, in which they made a discovery...

"This drone was sabotaged." Eric, the drone technician, said.

"Sabatoge?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah, somebody has demolished the circuit board and jury rigged the rotors to 159 rpm." Eric said.

"That's enough to burn it up." Xavier said.

"Yeah, I got a buddy of mine over in the engineering division who told me that somebody patched up a damaged fuel line on one of the trucks in the storage area." Eric explained.

"Oh, that was my handiwork, I found the damaged line and patched it up to stop a leak." Xavier said.

"Somebody is sabatoging our equipment on the base." Eric said.

" _That could be a reason to murder a Ghost and steal his uniform._ " Xavier thought.

While Xavier struggled to identify the mysterious saboteur that was prowling around the base, clouds of suspicion and conspiracy had stirred in the skies above the Imperial Capital...

 **Imperial Palace**

 **3:30 pm**

Pinya was residing in her bathhouse, relaxing after the stressful day she had been having. She was exhausted after dealing with Zolzal arriving at Lord Cicero's party uninvited, questions about why he had disappeared to Elbe from his biggest supporters. Hamilton, her page and second in command, was listing off the details about the arrival of JSDF forces that were now present at Temple Base.

"Your highness, the Ghosts of Temple Base have just received new forces at Temple Base." Hamilton said.

"New individuals?" Pinya asked.

"These new arrivals are known as the JSDF, they are native to an island known as Japan." Hamilton explained.

"There were more nations than the United States that were on the other side of the Gate." Pinya said.

"Yes, several more." Hamilton said.

"Well, I have had enough time to soak." Pinya said, standing up out of the water.

One of the maids walked up behind her and wrapped her in a towel, in which Pinya stepped out of the tub and walked over to the divider and changed into a robe. She walked around the divider and went to lie down on a small bed.

"I am going to be taking a nap, Hamilton." Pinya said.

"I'll make sure that nobody bothers you." Hamilton said.

Pinya drifted off into a deep sleep, pondering a future where the Empire had forged an alliance with the people of the world beyond the Gate, in which the peace had lasted for a long time. But that dream of peace quickly transitioned into a nightmare as a shadowy, demonic aspect of Zolzal surged over the hills and slammed a large blade onto both the Empire and the people of the world beyond the Gate, and images of war flooded her mind. She stood in the ruins of the Imperial Capital, in which he appeared in front of her with a bloodied blade in hand...

"We should have never trusted you." Zolzal said as he raised the blade over his head.

Pinya recoiled in fear as Zolzal slammed the blade down towards her with tremendous speed, in which she sprang up from her sleep. She noticed that it was already nighttime, which meant that she had fallen asleep for the entire day. There was a maid standing next to her bedside, startled by the immediate wake up speed, as sweat was trickling down her face.

"Are you alright, your highness?" The maid asked.

"I'm fine, I just had a bad dream, sorry for startling you." Pinya said.

"I just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready, and your father sent me to let you know." The maid said.

"Okay, let him know that I will be down in a few minutes." Pinya said.

Pinya got up out of bed and wiped the sweat off her face with some water and dried it off with a towel. She put on her clothes and shoes and went downstairs to the dining room, sitting down across from Diabo.

"Were you asleep all day?" Diabo asked.

"Don't pester your sister, Diabo, she's had a long day." Molt said.

"Yes, fending off Zolzal's followers constantly pestering us about the whereabouts of Zolzal can be very tiring." Pinya said.

"It's moves and counter-moves in politics." Molt said.

Their dinner went undisturbed for a couple of hours, until a panicked Panache stormed into the room accompanied by Beefeater, one of her Rose Knight captains and a close friend.

"Panache, Beefeater, what's wrong?" Pinya asked.

"It's Hamilton, she's been kidnapped!" Panache exclaimed.

"What?!" Pinya said.

"Who would commit this atrocious crime?" Diabo demanded.

"It was Lord Tycus, your highness." Beefeater said.

"Tycus is one of Zolzal's biggest backers and supporters. There is no doubt that he would commit something like for the sake of his cause." Molt said.

"He left a message, he's demanding that you renounce your support of the Ghosts and mobilize the army to destroy them." Beefeater said.

"He thinks he can blackmail me into starting a war between us and the Ghosts by using one of my daughter's followers as leverage." Molt said.

"He also stated that if he saw either a Rose Knight or Imperial Army Banner near his estate, he will kill the girl." Panache said.

"What are we going to do?" Beefeater asked in a scared tone.

"Which of his estates is he holding the girl at?" Molt asked.

"His lakeside one." Beefeater said.

"The one with the drainage tunnel?" Molt asked.

"Yes, why are you asking this?" Beefeater said in a confused tone.

"Because, he may see us, but he'll never see the Ghosts." Molt said.

 **This chapter concludes with Pinya suffering a nightmare of Zolzal destroying the peace that she has envisioned for the Empire and the people of the world beyond the Gate, and learning that one of Zolzal's biggest backers and supporters has abducted her page and second in command to try and blackmail the Emperor and the Princess into abandoning the idea of peace with the people who live beyond the Gate. With pressure building as they cannot send the army or the Rose Knights to get her back, Molt suggests sending the Ghosts to rescue Hamilton from the captivity of the ruthless Lord Tycus. The next chapter will start off with a team of the Ghosts infiltrating the lakeside estate and rescuing Hamilton, and Xavier teaching an important lesson to a traumatized Hamilton to help her on her road to recovery. Meanwhile, Zolzal tries another method to spark a war between the Ghosts and the Empire...**

 **WAIT AND SEE...**


	12. Chapter 12: Three Stone

**Chapter 12: The three stone promise**

 **Imperial Rendezvous Location**

8:14 pm

A large golden tent surrounded by Imperial soldiers was set up in a large clearing in the middle of the forests, with Molt standing outside accompanied by a worried Pinya. They were standing there as they were waiting for the Ghosts to arrive to discuss a plan of action to rescue the captive Hamilton from the abusive Lord Tycus. They were standing out in the middle of the night for almost 12 minutes, until a military-issue jeep appeared coming down the dirt trail that led to the location, stopping a good distance from the tent, and Xavier stepped out alongside his closest associate, Lance Corporal Hannah Willis, and walked up to the Emperor...

"Sorry that we're late." Xavier said.

"That is understandable, you must have been busy." Molt said.

"The messenger that you sent said that something urgent has come up, and that you are requesting our aid." Hannah said.

"Yes, follow us inside." Pinya said.

The duo followed the two royal family members inside the large tent, where a large wooden table was set up with a couple of documents set up on one of the nearby corners. They took seats on opposite sides of the table, getting straight to business...

"What's the situation?" Xavier asked.

"One of the supporters of my Eldest son's has crossed a line." Molt said.

"What have they done?" Hannah asked.

"They have kidnapped my daughter's page and second in command." Molt explained.

"So have a classic example of a hostage situation." Xavier explained.

"Have they made any demands?" Hannah said.

"They are demanding that we renounce our support for your people and that we mobilize the army to destroy Temple Base." Pinya said.

"Why is your eldest son determined to destroy us?" Hannah asked.

"Zolzal has too much pride for the Empire, believes that we should enforce our will on any civilization that is lesser than our own." Molt said.

"He also takes pride in rape, torture, and murder." Pinya added, recoiling at the thought.

"Sounds like a charmer." Hannah said sarcastically.

"The individual who has captured Hamilton is Lord Tycus, he has a sort of scary influence in the Senate." Pinya said.

"How scary?" Xavier said.

"He takes pride in similar things that Zolzal likes, but he disapproves of murder." Pinya explained.

"No wonder that the guy is best buddies with Zolzal." Xavier said.

"He also allows his officers to do anything they want to any female prisoners, and I mean anything." Molt said.

"Well then, we better get to work." Xavier said.

"He also stated that he will kill the girl at the slightest sight of any soldiers under the banner of either the Rose Knights or Imperial Army." Molt explained.

"But he won't see us. I'll get a group together and bring her home safe." Xavier said.

"Here are the blueprints of his lakeside estate, that is the confirmed location that he is holding her at." Pinya said, handing over the documents.

"Thank you, your highness." Hannah said, taking the documents.

"Don't worry, we'll bring her home safe, your highness." Xavier said in a reassuring tone.

"Ok." Pinya said.

Xavier and Hannah took off with the documents, in which Pinya and her father got ready with their escort to return to the Capital to await the return of Hamilton. Upon returning to the base, Xavier went to the command building to talk to Ashton while Hannah returned the truck to the storage area.

 **Temple Base Command Building**

8:20 pm

Ashton was sitting at his desk sipping some coffee, looking over some documents pertaining to the investigation of the murder of one of the Ghosts on the base, and Hazama was sitting with him and providing insight into the case. Xavier entered the room with the schematics of Tycus's lakeside estate tucked under his arm...

"Excuse me sir, a word?" Xavier said.

"Ah Xavier, come on in." Ashton said.

"How went the meeting with the Emperor?" Hazama asked.

"Why did he want our assistance?" Ashton added.

"He has a hostage situation on his hands that he needs our help in dealing with it." Xavier explained.

"What?!" Hazama said in a surprised tone.

"A hostage situation?" Ashton inquired.

"One of the Anti-Peace faction's biggest supporters has kidnapped the second in command of the Princess in the Rose Knights." Xavier explained.

"Who are the Rose Knights?" Hazama asked.

"I'll fill you in later, who kidnapped the girl?" Ashton asked.

"A Lord named Tycus, he's like a clone of Zolzal just less hair than him and he frowns on murder." Xavier explained.

"We can't do a full frontal assault, he'll kill the hostage before we can get to her." Hazama said.

"No, but we have the location where they are holding her." Xavier said, rolling out the schematics on the coffee table.

"What is this?" Ashton asked.

"The blueprints of Tycus's personal lakeside estate." Xavier said.

"The Emperor gave these to you?" Ashton asked in a confused tone.

"Yes." Xavier simply responded.

"He really must want you to help." Hazama said.

"Well then, First Lieutenant, I am giving you command of this rescue mission." Ashton said.

"Understood, sir." Xavier responded.

"I'll have 3rd recon assist you on the mission." Hazama said.

"Thank you, sir." Xavier said.

Xavier exited the room, and proceeded to talk to Rodriguez, the veteran communications officer on the base, about assembling a group together for the rescue op...

"Rodriguez, get on the horn with Lieutenant Perez, let him know that I need a small unit together and send word to the supply building that we're gonna need a large Zodiac and plenty of gear." Xavier said.

"You got it." Rodriguez said.

 **Temple Base Situation room**

8:23 pm

Dante and a small group of Ghosts stood around a table with the schematics of Tycus's personal lakeside estate with the JSDF 3rd recon unit that was under Itami's command as Xavier walked up to the table.

"All right, I am going to speak as clearly as I can for what I have to tell you, so listen up." Xavier started.

"Macho enough?" Itami said in a joking tone.

"Shut up." Kuribayashi, one of his underlings in the 3rd recon unit, said as elbowed him in the side.

"The Empire has requested our assistance in a serious matter. One of the supporters of the Anti-Peace faction has abducted the second in command to the Princess in the Rose Knights, and is holding her hostage at a lakeside estate that he owns." Xavier explained.

"The man responsible issued threats to kill the girl should the Imperial army or the Rose Knights try to knock down his door." Hannah said.

"So how are we supposed to help?" Randolph, one of the Ghosts, asked.

"The Emperor has given us the blueprints to the estate she is being held at, which shows us a way in." Xavier said.

"There is a drainage tunnel that exits out onto the lake that runs through the underground of the estate, that is our insertion point." Hannah explained.

"The rescue team will consist of Lance Corporal Willis, First Lieutenant Perez, Pvt First Class Randolph, Sergeant Patterson, and Specialist Andrews." Xavier explained.

"Why such a small group?" Andrews asked.

"If the group is too large, they'll stick out like bollocks on a bulldog." Xavier said.

"The reason for lake insertion is that he's got soldiers patrolling the main roads to the estate." Hannah explained.

"I will be part of the extraction team, once Target Angel has been secured, you fall back to the Zodiac and we'll evac with 3rd recon upon returning to the shore." Xavier explained.

"Who will be on the extraction team?" Dante asked.

"That will be me, First Lieutenant Itami, Pvt Kuribayashi, and Sergeant Major Kuwahara." Xavier explained.

"Understood." Kuwahara said.

"Now, no bloodshed unless you have no other choice. We do not need any more ammunition for the Anti-Peace faction, sound good?!" Xavier said.

"Yes sir!" The soldiers shouted.

"All right, let's roll." Xavier said.

The group loaded up into the trucks and proceeded to the operation site for the rescue op...

 **Lake Vessen Tycus Estate**

8:49 pm

The Zodiac carrying the insertion team, driven by Xavier, slowly pulled up to the drainage tunnel as the guards that patrolled the perimeter of the estate withdrew. The insertion team stepped off the Zodiac carefully and moved to the drainage tunnel. Dante pulled out a small blowtorch and began to cut through the grate, making a human sized hole, in which each team member slipped through.

"Kingpin, this is Nightstalker, we're inside and moving to checkpoint Zulu." Dante said.

" _Copy that, you will have communication trouble at checkpoint Harvey._ " Xavier said over the radio.

"Roger that." Dante said.

The team proceeded through the tunnel network, incapacitating any guards that they came across. They snuck past guards and staff members of the estate with accurate precision, sticking to the shadows all the way to the dungeons where Hamilton was being held. But they were witness to a sight that sparked anger in their hearts...

"Man, that girl certainly knows how to give a man a good time." The officer exiting the cell said while adjusting his pants.

"I was just about to have fun with her myself." Another officer said.

"Didn't you already do that this morning?" The first officer said.

"That was a warm-up." The other officer said in a cocky tone.

The second officer took off into the jail cell, while the first officer walked away from the cell with a great big smile on his face. This angered the team, in which they immediately jumped on the radio and contacted Xavier...

"Kingpin, we are outside Target Angel's location. Ready to recover." Hannah said.

" _Copy that, Warstrider, get Target Angel home whatever it takes._ " Xavier said.

"Understood." Hannah said with anger mixed into her voice.

Randolph and Andrews fired two suppressed shots from their rifles, killing the guards posted outside the cell. Hannah tiptoed into the cell, seeing the officer from before violating a restrained Hamilton, who was crying throughout the entire process. Hannah quietly snuck up behind him, drawing her combat knife, and proceeded to violently stab him in the throat. Hamilton looked at her masked rescuers as Dante ran over to her side...

"(Sob) Who are you?" Hamilton asked in a broken voice.

"We're The Ghosts, we're here to get you out." Dante said as he undid the restraints on her left wrist.

"Thank you." Hamilton said.

"Kingpin, this is Warstrider, Target Angel secured, moving for extraction." Hannah said.

" _Copy that, we're gonna be on standby until you arrive._ " Xavier said.

"Wrap her in a blanket, we gotta move." Hannah said.

"Yes, ma'am." Andrews said.

They wrapped her in a blanket, in which Patterson walked Hamilton along since she was feeling weakened from the torture that she was put through. They escaped back to the drainage tunnels just before the estate security could respond to the breach. They fled along the tunnels back to the Zodiac...

"What happened?" Xavier asked.

"We took out a guy who was in the middle of violating her." Dante explained.

"Is he dead?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah, he's dead." Dante responded.

Xavier sped the Zodiac away, just as the soldiers that were present on the grounds of the estate began scrambling to their feet in response to the infiltration of the estate. Xavier immediately contacted the 3rd recon unit that was on standby for pickup.

" _3rd recon, this is Kingpin, we have the package, request Mari be on standby for arrival._ " Xavier said.

" _Roger that._ " Kuruta said on the other end.

The team got back to the shore and loaded up into the trucks and drove back to the base with Hamilton. Upon arriving at the base, Dante noticed another truck that had arrived before them, in which it's passenger was someone very familiar to him...

"Dante, what happened?" Daniel said.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Dante asked.

"I was invited to dinner by a Marquess Casel, but what happened to her?" Daniel said, referring to Hamilton.

"She was raped and held hostage against her will." Xavier explained.

"My god." Daniel said.

"Dante, why don't you socialize with your dad while I take Hamilton to the infirmary." Xavier said, walking off with Hamilton.

"Hey dad." Dante said.

"Hey son, I heard about a lot of the things that you and Xavier have done." Daniel said.

"You did, huh?" Dante said.

"So? What was it like? Fighting an enormous Fire Dragon?" Daniel said in a humored tone.

"Trust me, Dad, it was hell to fight off that thing." Dante said.

"So the stories about that were true." Daniel said.

"Yes, and if you heard stories about our involvement in the battle of Italica, those are true as well." Dante said.

"Yes, I even heard about the Night Witches's involvement as well." Daniel said.

After their discussion, Daniel and Dante went to the barracks to get some sleep after relaxing in the mess hall, enjoying a nice meal of turkey and mashed potatoes as it was tonight's meal.

 **The Next Morning**

 **Temple Base Main Entrance**

 **8:30 am**

Xavier was standing at the main entrance of the base, awaiting the arrival of the Rose Knights that were going to be coming to pickup Hamilton, while Hamilton herself was sitting down in the passenger seat of a truck that Xavier was standing in front of. She had her head rested on a pillow that he provided, but was having a hard time getting a restful sleep as she was being tormented by nightmares of the traumatic experience that she went through.

" _Time has been cruel to you kid. But I hope that you won't let it break you._ " Xavier thought as he looked at the sleeping Hamilton.

Tomita, a member of the 3rd recon unit, jogging up to him as he was doing his usual morning job as his way of staying in shape. He stopped in front of him, pulling up his canteen from his side to take a drink.

"Hey Tomita." Xavier said.

"How have you been First Lieutenant?" Tomita asked.

"Been better." Xavier said.

"How's she holding up?" Tomita asked, looking at Hamilton.

"Not well, the doctors over in the infirmary said that she was keeping them up all night because she was screaming about these nightmares that she was having every time she closed her eyes." Xavier explained.

"I'm not surprised, after what she went through, the nightmares are a classic warning sign of severe mental trauma." Tomita said.

"Yeah, that is true." Xavier said.

"What are you waiting out here for?" Tomita asked.

"The Rose Knights are coming by today to pick Hamilton up." Xavier explained.

"So you're being kind enough to oversee her return." Tomita said.

"Yeah, pretty much." Xavier said.

"Well then, I hope the transition goes smoothly." Tomita said before continuing with his jog.

As Tomita was about jog away, Xavier heard the sound of horses trotting fourth with great speed, proceeding to look towards the road. He saw members of the Rose Knights riding towards the two with great speed, with Bozes at the head of the group. The horses stopped in front of them and Bozes hopped off hers and approached the two...

"First Lieutenant Moore, I've come for...who is this?" Bozes said as she noticed Tomita.

"I am Akira Tomita, I'm a member of the JSDF." Tomita said.

"Greetings, I am Knight-Captain Bozes of the Rose Knights." Bozes said.

"Anyway, are you here about Hamilton?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, where is she?" Bozes said, snapping back into focus.

"Wait here." Xavier said, walking over to the passenger side of the truck.

Bozes watched as Xavier talked to the exhausted Hamilton, who looked tired from severe lack of sleep. Xavier helped her out of the truck, in which Bozes saw the state that she was in, which left her speechless. Hamilton had bandages on her forearms and her right arm was in a sling, there was a bruise on the left side of her face, and she had large dark bags under her eyes. She was wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants provided by the Ghosts, along with a pair of moccasins that was also given by the Ghosts.

"HAMILTON!" Bozes exclaimed.

"Bozes?" Hamilton said as her voice started to break.

Bozes ran up to Hamilton and pulled her close, and Hamilton began sobbing as she felt a rush of relief flood over her. Bozes had tears flowing down her face as she was relieved that Hamilton was alive, as she feared the worst during the process of her captivity. While Bozes walked Hamilton over to an empty horse that they had brought with them, Beefeater walked over to Xavier to talk to him...

"Why is she in this state?" Beefeater asked.

"Our rescue team rescued from a man who was in the middle of violating her, and the injuries she received were from both being tortured and violated by the other officers under Tycus's command." Xavier explained.

"My god." Beefeater said in a shocked tone. "Tycus is going to pay for this." She added with anger in her voice.

"Right now, Hamilton is going to need her friends by her side as she is going to have a long road of recovery ahead." Xavier said.

"Understood, by the way, here's a small list of nobles who have invited you to their annual salons, all nobles are members of the pro-peace faction in the Senate." Xavier said.

"Ok." Xavier said casually.

While the Rose Knights returned to the Capital with the wounded Hamilton, Tuka was about to make a new friend...

 **Temple Base Archery Range**

8:19 am.

Hannah walked up to a large table at the range with two large black cases in both hands, setting them both down on the table. She slid the second case over to the side, and turned the first case towards her. She unlocked the case and opened it, pulling out a black, metal bow and opened up two small doors on the top part of the case. It revealed a set of monitors and four arrows lined up between the monitors on the top of the case. She pulled the top arrow off its holder, attached it to the bowstring, pulling the arrow back as she raised the bow, then releasing. The arrow flew off the bow, flying at the target, impacting in the center of the target. The monitor registered the speed of the arrow at 95 miles per hour, in which Hannah felt that it wasn't good enough. As she was about to prepare the second arrow, she looked up to see Tuka wandering onto the range as if she was curious...

"Hey, why don't you come over here?" Hannah said.

"Oh, sorry." Tuka said in a shy tone.

"If you want to know what the purpose of this place is, it's so people can practice their archery skills and learn how to improve them." Hannah explained.

"This is an archery range?" Tuka said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Yes. Would you like to try?" Hannah asked her, offering her the bow.

"Sure." Tuka said, taking the bow.

Tuka pointed the bow at the target where the first arrow was in, and fired it at the target. The monitor that was registering the speeds of the arrows, registered the speed of Tuka's shot at 105 miles per hour.

"Damn kid, how did you learn to shoot like that?" Hannah asked.

"My father taught me, he would sometimes take me with him on hunting trips." Tuka explained.

"That's awesome." Hannah said.

"How did you learn to shoot a bow and arrow?" Tuka asked.

"My boyfriend Cole taught me." Hannah said. "After COLOSSUS Day destroyed the world, my parents were killed in the chaos, so I was stuck with my boyfriend Cole after he was separated from his family. We were forced to wander No Man's land for weeks, surviving on what we could scrounge up or hunt, he taught me how to use a bow and arrow so I can defend myself. We wandered No Man's Land until we arrived at Sanctuary, and ended up joining the settlement. I joined the Ghosts as a field operative, while Cole became an engineer and worked on the vehicles that the Ghosts owned." She explained.

"You lost your parents?" Tuka asked.

"Yeah, they were killed by the earthquakes that COLOSSUS Day caused." Hannah explained.

"I lost my mother when I was very young, but my father is still alive, I have been waiting for him to get here." Tuka said.

Hannah immediately went silent at what she had said, withdrawing the information of the fact that she had read the reports from the survey division's reports of the settlement attack site, confirming that there was a charred body that had fallen over when the rain came down. She watched as Tuka took shots from her bow and registered speeds of up to 119 mph to 234 mph. As Hannah was packing up her gear, Tuka was relaxing after the thrill of shooting the bow...

"That was an incredible experience." Tuka said.

"You know, I have an extra bow and this place is open at 8:19 every morning and closes at midnight every evening." Hannah said.

"Are you inviting me to come out here to shoot?" Tuka asked.

"Yeah." Hannah said.

"Thank you, friend." Tuka said.

"Anytime, friend." Hannah responded.

After Hannah cleaned up her gear, the duo went to breakfast with the other Ghosts and refugees. Later on in the afternoon, Xavier was invited to the annual salon of Lady Cicero, in which he attended the event as an escort for Reiko Shirayuri, the former Japanese Vice Minister of Political Affairs, now a member of the Temple Base Ambassador Department.

 **Cicero Estate**

Midday.

The estate was lively as the nobility that were visiting the estate for the salon, the men conversed among themselves while the women chatted with each other. The security of the event was provided by the Rose Knights, in which Xavier noticed that Hamilton was here alongside Pinya despite the fact that she was still recovering from the torturous captivity that she went through.

"So Lady Shirayuri, how are you affiliated with the Ghosts?" Lady Cicero asked.

"They were kind enough to give us refuge since the landscape we had come from had begun to deteriorate rapidly." Shirayuri said.

"Oh, you must regale us with the hardships that your people faced because of this COLOSSUS Day." Lady Harcourt, another noblewoman said.

"First Lieutenant Moore, may I speak to you for a moment?" Pinya asked.

"Of course, your highness." Xavier said.

"It's about Hamilton, I feel that the trauma of the incident has been weighing heavily down on her." Pinya said.

"I am not surprised, nobody cannot come out of events like that and say they're fine." Xavier said.

"I was hoping that you could talk to her about this." Pinya said.

"Alright, tell her to meet me by the stream nearby." Xavier said.

"Ok." Pinya said.

 **Forest Clearing Near the Cicero Estate**

10 minutes later...

Hamilton arrived at a small forest clearing where a large stream was near the estate, with a clear line of sight to the estate grounds. It was the most gorgeous scene that she had ever seen. Xavier was standing at a small dock, tossing a small stone up and down in his hands...

"Princess Pinya told me that you wanted to see me?" Hamilton said.

"Yes, I wanted to have a talk with you about something." Xavier said, catching and holding the stone.

"What is it?" Hamilton asked.

"First, let tell you a story." Xavier started. "Back on Earth, back before the Ghosts came into reality, I had fallen down into a crevice by accident while on a cartography mission for Sanctuary, landing in a small tunnel created by the raised sections of land. It lead me to a large clearing of a forest that developed over time in the ruins of a small neighborhood, with a stream that ran right down the old street. To me, this was the most gorgeous scene that I had ever seen, life emerging from the ashes of a ruined world, it was a symbol that brought me hope. So I picked up 3 small stones that were the same size as this one and stood at the side of the stream." He said.

"What did you do with the stones?" Hamilton asked.

"I recited 3 promises. Promises to make myself better than I was before COLOSSUS Day, promises to overcome the scars that day marked me with, promises to shatter the pain that I felt on that day as my whole life was destroyed when the kinetic rods came down and destroyed our cities, killed our people, and warped the landscape. After I recited the first promise, I dropped the first stone into the stream, doing the same for the other two. Now, I want you to walk alongside this stream, and grab three stones the same size as the one in my hand, then meet me by that dock." Xavier said.

"Okay." Hamilton said.

Hamilton followed Xavier's instructions, grabbing three small stones that were the same size as the one that he was holding and walking up to him at the end of the dock. He stood up straight to give her the next set of instructions...

"I have the stones." Hamilton said.

"Good, now to give you two things: the end of the story and your next instructions. After I dropped the three stones, I grabbed three more stones, but I didn't drop them in the river. I held onto them and kept them until that I felt that I had accomplished the goals that I had set for myself, in which I dropped them into the stream then. Because of this method, the three stone promise as I call it, it made me into the soldier and man I am today. Now, go to the end of this dock, recite 3 promises to overcome the pain that every single individual that followed Tycus had inflicted on you, then drop a stone into the river after each promise, and then grab three more stones, but hold on to those ones until you accomplish those goals." Xavier instructed.

Hamilton had followed those instructions given to her by Xavier, promising to become stronger than the girl who was held prisoner, promising to overcome the pain she felt, to not be held by the scars that she carried, and dropping each stone into the stream after the promises were recited. She then grabbed 3 more stones and placed them in a small satchel on her side. Xavier walked her back to the estate, in which Pinya decided to ask how their talk went...

"How did your talk go?" Pinya asked.

"Yeah, I suggest that you and the others should be there for her when she needs it." Xavier said.

"Of course." Pinya said.

While Xavier was at the party, Daniel decided to visit Marquess Casel's estate so he could get to know the nobleman who had invited him to dinner...

 **Casel Estate**

 **6:30 pm**

Daniel arrived at the estate of Marquess Casel, a member of the nobility and a highly influential member of the Imperial Senate. The estate was a large, elegant building surrounded by lush green plant life.

"Commander Perez, welcome to my estate, I am Marquess Casel." He said.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir." Daniel said.

"You remind me of your own son. I had the pleasure of meeting him while he was accompanying the first envoys that you sent." Casel said.

"I have two sons actually." Daniel said.

"Really?" Casel said, showing Daniel to the inside of the house.

"Of course, my youngest son, Desmond, works with the farmers of the settlement." Daniel said as they walked up to the house.

But as they walked inside, the two men were unaware of the fact that Zolzal (still disguised as a Ghost) was taking a position where he could try to take a shot at the Marquess, in which he could incriminate the Ghosts in the attempted murder of Marquess Casel.

" _All right, you remember what the others taught you about these primitives' weapons, exhale slowly and squeeze the trigger._ " Zolzal thought.

But before he could take his shot, the two men had disappeared into the building. This angered him as another one of his plans had failed, but this time it was caused by his carelessness. But as he was hiding, every bird in the trees near him fled with great speed, leaving him with only more questions...

" _Why are they fleeing?_ " Zolzal thought to himself.

 **This chapter concludes with Zolzal failing in another attempt to ignite a war between the Ghosts and the Empire, the signs of another possible is revealed in the form of every bird near him fleeing mysteriously even though he did not do anything to provoke them. The three stone promise is a lesson that Xavier had developed in order to help individuals overcome tragedies that had been inflicted upon them, in which he taught it to Hamilton as she was suffering from the torturous captivity that she went through. The next chapter will start off with the other members of Phantom Squad taking up other positions in other bases, with Blaze taking a guard position at a base in the Imperial Capital's red light district, but the situation there deteriorates with the arrival of an earthquake, in which Zolzal's disguise is seen through...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Sheep hides no more

**Chapter 13: The Sheep hides no more.**

 **Akusho District, Imperial Capital**

 **8:30 am, the next morning**

Akusho was a red light district for the Capital, as it was filled to the brim with crime and chaos. Crime bosses reigned supreme in this district, streets were polluted and littered with the homeless, sickness ravaged the people of the district, and it's sole body of water was polluted as well just like the streets. But, thanks to Imperial authorization, the Ghosts and JSDF established a base of operations in the district, providing medical treatment for the people of the district and a semblance of order to the district. Right outside the base, a humvee with the Ghost's colors arrived outside the base, and Blaze and Mari got ready to get out of the truck, while their drivers, Hannah and Cole, conversed with each other...

"You know, when I heard that we were going to drop you two off in a red light district, I didn't expect it to be a dump." Cole said.

"What were you expecting?" Mari asked.

"You know, love hotels and prostitutes walking the streets, those kinds of red light districts." Cole explained.

"They're here Cole, they're just hiding from you." Hannah said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Cole exclaimed.

"Cole, they're hiding from you because the fear the fury of your woman." Blaze said before stepping out of the truck.

Mari did the same and stepped out of the truck, in which they drove off arguing. Mari and Blaze picked up their gear and went inside the building. Upon entry, they were greeted by an elderly man who was the JSDF commander of the base.

"Greetings, I am Nyuutabaru, chief officer of this base." The man said.

"I'm Mari, medic from the 3rd recon unit, and this is Corporal Blaze Sackett from the Ghosts." Mari explained.

"It is an honor to meet you, Corporal Sackett, tales of your squad's exploits are popular among the boys." Nyuutabaru said.

"Thank you, sir." Blaze said.

"Well then, time for your assignments, Mari, you are working with the doctors, Corporal, you are on security detail for the base." Nyuutabaru explained.

"Understood." The duo said.

The duo immediately went to work on the assignments that they were given. Blaze took a guard position at the front door, while Mari worked with the doctors in the backrooms. They had visitors around the clock, varying from sick civilians of both human and demi-human, to prostitutes worried about their health and the possibility of it impacting their ability to work. While the duo worked with the forces in Akusho, Xavier and members of his team and the JSDF were accompanying Daniel and Suragawa on a series of meetings with members of the pro-peace faction of the Imperial Senate...

 **Cicero Estate**

 **Later in the evening...**

"Thank you for inviting us, sir." Daniel said.

"Anytime Commander, I will personally support the negotiations and many members of the Hawks will be behind the push for peace." Cicero said.

"Thank you, sir." Xavier said.

The group began to proceed to their own vehicles, passing by Princess Pinya as she was about to board her own carriage to return to her estate...

"Hello, Princess." Dante said.

"Ah, Lieutenant Perez, it is good to see you again." Pinya said.

"Man, that was some party." Daniel said.

"Yes it was, so what will you do now?" Pinya said.

"We've got a good long drive back to Temple Base. See you tomorrow." Xavier said.

"You know, my own estate not far from here, you can stay there for the evening." Pinya explained.

"We really wouldn't want to intrude." Daniel said.

"I wouldn't mind." Pinya said.

"She's right, the trip will be too long, and our own escorts might start to fall asleep at the wheel." Suragawa pointed out.

"Besides, it would be rude to refuse such a generous offer." Itami said.

"All right, lead the way, your highness." Daniel said.

Pinya entered her carriage and lead the Ghosts and JSDF vehicles to the estate of the Princess. It was a large elegant building, with its own personal security forces patrolling the perimeter.

 **Pinya Estate**

7:30 pm.

The group exited the trucks, in which Pinya was stepping out of her carriage to greet them. The group was awe-struck by the sight of the magnificent building as they exited the trucks...

"Welcome to my estate." Pinya said.

"( _Whistle_ ) nice place, your highness." Mikayla said.

"Thank you, though it is actually smaller than my siblings' estates." Pinya said.

"That's because you have the ability to control your ego." Xavier said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hehe. That's true." Pinya said with a chuckle.

"Thank you for letting us stay here." Daniel said.

"Anytime, Commander." Pinya said.

As the Ghosts and JSDF soldiers rested up at Pinya's personal estate, Mari was about to get some knowledge of how the presence of their soldiers has changed the Akusho District...

 **Akusho District Ghosts/JSDF Base**

 **7:35 pm**

Mari was sitting in her small backroom office a cot covered by white blankets and a desk with paperwork organized and a cupboard full of medicine for her to use. She was looking over a catalog of sexually transmitted diseases that are native to the region. While she was doing that, a doctor appeared in the doorway with a clipboard in hand...

"Excuse me, Mari?" Akane, the doctor, said.

"Yes?" Mari asked.

"Your next client is here." Akane said.

"Okay, send them in." Mari said.

The next person to visit Mari was a blonde-haired demi-human woman with enormous white, feathered wings and dressed in revealing clothing. She was carrying something that looked like a smaller version of a smoking pipe that had seemed to be longer than a normal one.

"Hello, I'm Mari." She said.

"I'm Misery, let's skip the pleasantries and get this over with." The woman said.

"Understood." Mari said.

Mari got up and pulled out a small bottle of contraceptives and poured out 3 pills, handing them to Misery. Misery took the pills from her, gulping them down her throat, then put her pipe back in her mouth.

"I'm surprised that you visit the base often for access to contraceptives." Mari said.

"Well, in my line of work, you can't go and get pregnant." Misery said.

"So you are a prostitute?" Mari said.

"Yes, I am." Misery said.

"Oh." Mari said.

"Don't judge, everyone has to make a living somehow. Besides, things have been getting better around here since Bessala got dead." Misery said.

"Bessala?" Mari asked.

"You don't know?" Misery said.

"No, I recently got transferred here." Mari explained.

"Well then, let me fill in the blanks for you." Misery started, sitting down on the cot. "Bessala was originally one of the big crime bosses around here, running extortion rackets and all sorts of illegal activities through Akusho. His gang was the largest around, so nobody would mess with him, until he heard about the base here. One night, he amassed his whole gang in order to attack the base, kill everyone inside, and seize control of the medicinal stockpiles here. If the people wanted medicine, they would have to go to him." She said.

"So what happened?" Mari asked.

"He never got the chance, your security massacred his entire gang right in the middle of the streets." Misery explained.

"Well, thank you for your time." Mari said.

Misery exited the room, leaving Mari to wonder about how much things have changed since the arrival of the Ghosts and the JSDF. She decided to get up and go talk to Nyuutabaru about any events that had transpired before she and Blaze arrived. She went out to the main desk where he was sitting, only to see Nyuutabaru talking to Blaze...

"Excuse me, Commander Nyuutabaru." Mari said.

"Yes, miss?" Nyuutabaru asked.

"One of the visitors told me about a crime boss that the security forces here killed, even his own gang." Mari said.

"Oh, that messy bit of business. Yeah, we took out a crime boss that was trying to take us out. The rest of his underlings got picked off by the other bosses that wanted to control the guy's territory." Nyuutabaru explained.

"Has any of the other bosses tried to make a move against us?" Blaze asked.

"No, they are backing off, some even went as far as dismantle their own syndicates just to avoid picking a fight." Nyuutabaru said.

"We scared them." Mari said.

"Yeah, lot of the crime bosses turned themselves around, began to run supplies such as food and clean water to the people." Nyuutabaru explained.

But while the Ghost and JSDF medic talked with the commander of the base, Misery walked down the street but stopped in an instant. She felt a series of chills shoot up and down her spine, her wings twitched, and she felt that something bad was on it's way. She returned to the bunkhouse that she and the other demi-human prostitutes called home, in which she was immediately approached by a worried demi-human girl with bird-like qualities.

"What's wrong, Nadia?" Misery asked.

"Everyone here has been acting oddly, it's scaring me." The girl said.

"I think that we should go see the doctor." Misery said as she noticed every demi-human prostitute in the building acting similar to her when walked down the street.

 **Temple Base Infirmary**

 **7:50 pm.**

Cole and Hannah accompanied Myuute to the infirmary to address the matter pertaining to the strange chills that she had been feeling for a couple of minutes. The current doctor, Kirsten Piers, was attending to Myuute..

"I don't understand, you seem fine physically and mentally, I can't explain the chills." Kirsten said to Myuute.

"So we're going nowhere?" Hannah said.

"This one place that I lived at once was near a large volcano, I would always get chills like these whenever it was going to erupt." Myuute explained.

"Oh shit." Cole said.

"What is it?" Hannah asked her boyfriend.

"Do you remember when we were walking on that trail on COLOSSUS Day? All those birds taking off?" Cole asked.

"Yes, but that was before...the earthquakes started." Hannah said in a tone of realization.

 **Akusho District Ghosts/JSDF Base.**

 **8:01 pm**

Things were quiet in the district, as nighttime had descended upon the entire district and the entire Capital as people would be going to bed for the night. The staff at the base were getting ready to clock out and go to bed for the night. But before Blaze could go to sleep, there was a knock at the door, also attracting the attention of Mari...

"Who is it?" Blaze asked.

"Its Misery, I need to speak to that doctor that I talked to." Misery said.

"Misery?" Mari asked.

Blaze opened the door a bit and both he and Mari saw that Misery was accompanied by the other prostitutes from the bunkhouse. They let them inside, in which the officers began to ask the girls why they had come to the base so late in the evening...

"What seems to be bothering you?" Nyuutabaru asked one of the girls.

"My homeland has a large volcano, it erupts non stop, I always get these chills and shakes whenever it is about to erupt." The wolf-girl explained.

Nyuutabaru looked around the room, seeing all of the demi-humans showing the same shakes, twitches , and chills as the girl he had just asked. Then he remembered something that may help in this moment: on the day of the tsunami that devastated Japan, every single house pet and animal began to flee the city before the earthquake that hit the city, leading up to the tsunami. Since the demi-humans are part animal, they could be accurately predicting the possible arrival of an enormous earthquake just like the animals from that day...

"Do you remember the tsunami that devastated Japan years ago?" Nyuutabaru asked Blaze and Mari.

"Yes." Blaze said.

"Of course." Mari said.

"I remember that every single house pet and animal near and in the city fled to higher ground. That was just before the earthquake hit." Nyuutabaru explained.

"So that means animals have a natural ability to detect when a disaster is about to occur." Mari said.

"The demi-humans are part animal, so that means..." Blaze said with a tone of realization.

"There is an earthquake on the way." Nyuutabaru said. "TOKAI!" He shouted to a solder.

"Yes sir!" The soldier responded.

"Gather the men and get out on the streets, go door to door and get the civilians out of the buildings immediately!" Nyuutabaru ordered.

"Sir?" Tokai asked.

"There's an earthquake on the way, and I don't want civilian casualties on my watch." Nyuutabaru explained.

The soldiers of the base scrambled to get ready to evacuate the civilians as there was an enormous earthquake on it's way. One radio operator jumped on the radio to contact Temple Base to see if they were aware of the danger. Temple Base responded by saying that all stations of the base were emergency readiness, so Blaze decided to contact Xavier to see if he was aware of the danger...

"Hell razor to Kingpin, come in Kingpin." Blaze said into his radio.

" _Hell razor, this is Kingpin, what is it Blaze, the radio is all ablaze with chatter."_ Xavier responded.

"Do you remember that theory of animals being able to detect when a disaster is about to occur?" Blaze asked.

" _What does that have to do with the reason why you're contacting me?_ " Xavier said.

"We've got an earthquake on the way, all of the demi-humans in Akusho are showing signs of earthquake detection." Blaze said as the ground had started to shake a bit. "Did you feel that?" He asked.

" _Yes, I'm with Commander Perez and Ambassador Suragawa and his escort at Pinya's personal estate, I'll let them know what the situation is."_ Xavier said.

Blaze joined up with the other soldiers, moving around the district to get the word out about the impending earthquake. They warned the civilians, but when the shaking got to the point where buildings were starting to break, they got out of the trucks to help anyone injured by the falling debris...

 **Pinya Estate**

 **"** An Earth-Shake? Now?" Pinya asked.

Pinya was standing outside in her nightgown accompanied by two guards and Hamilton, while the Ghosts and JSDF members were standing normally, while the group's soldiers were dressed in full combat gear.

"Corporal Sackett reported minor tremors occurring in the middle of Akusho District." Xavier explained.

"That cannot be possible." Pinya said in disbelief.

"Lieutenant, the trees are moving!" Brian exclaimed.

"It's just the wind, soldier." Suragawa said.

"Ambassador, you do notice that there is no wind blowing right now." Daniel pointed out.

Pinya looked down to see the bricks of the road up to the estate shaking in the ground. Eventually, a loud, thunderous sound was heard all over the Capital and the ground shook with great force. In the distance, a large slab of rock and dirt dropped off the side of a mountain, causing tremors all over the region. In Akusho, Blaze and a group of soldiers were helping civilians in avoiding the debris that was falling from the buildings...

"Be careful! Stay away from the buildings!" Blaze was shouting to the civilians.

Back at the estate, the bulk of the tremors were rocking the grounds of the estate and causing the guards posted at the estate were running around in horror as the earthquake unfolded. They were shouting things that were trying to help them understand the earthquake as Pinya was cowering on the ground with Hamilton...

"It's the end of the world!" One guardsman shouted.

"Hardy, quell your anger!" Another guardsman shouted.

"What is happening?!" A panicking servant shouted.

"Your highness!" Hamilton exclaimed.

Pinya was terrified as the earthquake continued, but she eventually saw Xavier, Daniel, Itami, Suragawa, and the rest of the group walking around as if nothing was wrong. As she listened in to their conversation, she found out that they were discussing the earthquake...

"Man, this is pretty bad." Itami said.

"Yeah it is, I'm thinking that it's a 4, maybe a 5?" Xavier said.

"Judging from the length of the tremors, the epicenter is not that far." Suragawa said.

"If the wave length was wider and more spread out, the epicenter would be further out." Daniel said.

"If it was a kinetic bombardment, there would be sinkholes forming." Dante said.

"Thank God it is not that." Xavier said.

"All of you, how can you remain so calm?!" Pinya exclaimed.

"Oh, this was a common problem in Japan." Itami said.

"We also had to put up with a lot more earthquakes when COLOSSUS Day occurred." Xavier said.

"This will continue for a couple more seconds then it will stop." Suragawa said.

Pinya watched as the earthquake stopped just as Itami had predicted as the environment around her just calmed down in an instant...

"See? Like I told you." Itami said.

"Anthony, do a roll call!" Xavier shouted.

"You got it!" Anthony responded.

"Kuribayashi, try to calm some of the women down!" Itami said.

"Yes sir!" Kuribayashi responded.

"Mikayla, try to get the estate guards back in order!" Xavier said.

"Got it!" Mikayla said.

Pinya watched as the visitors went to work on organising the chaos of the aftermath of the earthquake. Xavier watched as the members of the team went to work on the assignments that he had given them. He then noticed that Reaver had frozen up, in which the suspicions that Xavier was harboring towards him had confirmed that the saboteur was in fact him.

"Hey Reaver, relax man, it's over." Xavier said.

"What? There is going to be more earthquakes?" Pinya asked in a scared tone.

"Usually, after a large earthquake, there are usually a couple of aftershocks that follow." Itami said.

"I must warn my father, fetch me my clothes." Pinya said.

"You'll want us to come along?" Xavier said.

"Of course." Pinya said.

"Well then, my son, Lieutenant Moore, and Reaver will accompany me." Daniel said.

"I'm coming as well." Suragawa said.

"You ain't leaving me out of this, Kuribayashi, Tomita, you're with me." Itami said.

"Okay." Kuribayashi responded.

 **Imperial Palace**

 **8:30 pm.**

The group walked up the steps of the palace, witnessing the scene of the palace that was left behind by the earthquake. Guards were on the ground cowering in fear after the earthquake, there were no guards patrolling the perimeter of the building.

"No guards?" Itami said.

"They must have fled when the earthquake started." Xavier said.

"That explains why nobody has asked us to identify ourselves." Pinya said.

They walked inside the palace, and witnessed a group of servants cleaning up some broken decorative bases that had fallen over when the earthquake raged on. The halls were completely deserted as the majority of the staff present at the palace had abandoned their posts when the earthquake started. They walked through the halls, believing that the palace at nighttime was a little bit creepy...

"Man, this place looks like it belongs to some demon Lord at night." Itami said.

"Can you all wait in the throne room? I will wake my father and meet you there." Pinya said.

"Of course, your highness." Xavier said.

As the Ghosts and JSDF members went to the throne room to wait, Pinya and the two guards that accompanied her went to her father's bedroom to wake the Emperor...

"Why am I not surprised that you would be the first person to be here?" Molt said.

"I'm glad that you are alright, Father, please get dressed." Pinya asked.

"Is there a reason why?" Molt asked.

"The Ghosts have insight into earth-shakes that can help us." Pinya explained as her father put on his formal robe.

"Really now?" Molt asked.

"Yes." Pinya said.

"Well then, let us meet with them." Molt said.

 **Imperial Palace Throne Room**

 **8:32 pm**

Molt took his place on the throne, with the group standing a proper distance away from the throne. As Molt adjusted his position, a group of Imperial officers entered the room to await instructions...

"Officers, gather the troops and reinforce the security of the palace!" Pinya ordered.

"Yes!" The officers responded.

"You've gotten better at giving commands." Molt said.

"I've been learning from the best." Pinya said.

"Okay, I know the Ghosts, but I do not know the other individuals who are accompanying them." Molt explained.

"The gentleman in the officer's uniform is Commander Daniel Perez, leader of the Ghosts, and Ambassador Suragawa of the JSDF." Pinya explained.

Suragawa bowed respectfully to the Emperor, while Daniel and the other soldiers saluted him...

"So you are the leader of the Ghosts?" Molt asked Daniel.

"Yes, sir." Daniel said.

"Well, I commemorate you for leading such fine soldiers, sir." Molt said with a tone of approval.

"Thank you, your highness." Daniel said.

"Now, my daughter tells me that your people are well versed on Earth-shakes." Molt said.

"Yes sir, we have dealt with earthquakes before and on COLOSSUS Day." Daniel said.

"Well then, would you like to meet the Senate?" Molt asked.

"Sir?" Daniel asked.

"Gather your information, and we can present it to the Senate tomorrow morning." Molt said.

"Understood." Xavier said.

"You can sleep here in the palace this evening." Molt said.

"No assassins sent by Zolzal?" Xavier said jokingly.

"We chased them out a long time ago." Pinya said.

"Zolzal?" Daniel said in a confused tone.

"I'll fill you in later." Dante said.

" _Joke all you want, I may have found my way to start the war that I so righteously deserve._ " Zolzal thought.

 **Imperial Senate Building**

 **The next day...**

The Senate building was ablaze with arguements being thrown at each other by the Pro-War Faction and the Pro-peace Faction, each trying to argue about the fact that the Emperor has welcomed the Ghosts and JSDF members into the Senate building to present before them. The Pro-War Faction was short one member as Lord Tycus was stripped of his titles and Senate position, then imprisoned for kidnapping and raping Hamilton, then threatening him and Pinya to start a war. Xavier and the group stood outside of the room and listening in...

"Man, it's worse than Congress in there." Xavier said.

"It's just like Congress, but with swords and there are no democrats and republicans." Daniel said.

"I'm glad that this is not Washington, I would have caused trouble." Dante said.

"Both of the Senate factions want two different things, one wants peace with us and the other wants war with us." Suragawa said.

"Just keep that ledger close to you, sir." Itami said.

They had a ledger of solutions regarding Earthquakes, such as groups that act as response forces to the beginning of an earthquake, to present to the Senate. A guard let them in, in which the group entered the chamber, in which soldiers standing in a defensive line in order to prevent the members of the Pro-War Faction from attacking the visitors. Molt took his place on the throne, and silenced the Senate by raising his hand, which meant that he was calling for silence...

"The visitors that are with us are to present to us information on dealing with Earth-shakes." Molt said. "So be courteous and welcome Ambassador Suragawa of the JSDF forces that have come to aid the Ghosts." He said.

But before Suragawa could walk to the Senate floor, Xavier noticed out of the corner of his eye that Reaver was now raising his rifle towards the Emperor. He knew that the saboteur was wearing Reaver's uniform, but now he was reassured that it was an impostor as he saw a streak of blonde hair coming out from underneath his mask. He knew that the real Reaver had dark brown hair. He immediately knocked the gun upward, the bullets hitting the ceiling of the Senate chamber. He tackled the impostor to the ground of the chamber main floor, in which a fight began. Dante was rendered speechless at the fact that his closest friend and mentor was attacking one of their own, until he noticed a difference between their fighting styles...

" _Xavier is fighting like an actual soldier, but Reaver is fighting like a street brawler and like he had learned the moves in a rush._ " Dante thought.

Reaver drew a knife, but Xavier quickly disarmed him using a special move against a knife-weilding opponent that was taught to him by his old friend, Molly Walsh. He took Reaver to the ground, holding him up by his bulletproof vest, alarming Pinya...

"Xavier! Why are you attacking one of your own?" Pinya asked.

"Because he's not one of our own!" Xavier exclaimed, removing Reaver's mask and exposing Zolzal.

"Zolzal-sama!" One Pro-War senator shouted.

"My god." Suragawa said.

The Senate chamber was in an uproar over the fact that Zolzal had been impersonating a Ghost, in which he received praise from members of the Pro-War Faction for his cunning plan, but he was also cursed at by the other members of the pro-peace faction for his brash and violent plot. He also received angry and violent stares from the group standing at the doors.

"He murdered the owner of the uniform that he is currently wearing and then tried to sabotage our technology." Xavier said.

Pinya noticed that her father was looking at her older brother angrily, in which he was infuriated by the fact that his oldest son had crossed a line by attempting to murder him with a weapon that had belonged to the organization that had done so many things that have helped the empire. He silenced the Senate once again, but this time it was going to be different...

"Guards, subdue the Crown Prince, Pinya, go wait with our visitors outside." Molt ordered.

Xavier turned Zolzal over to the guards, and he exited the room with the other members of the group and Pinya, taking Reaver's mask with him. Zolzal looked at his father, who was angry with his oldest son for his actions...

"Zolzal, how long must I tolerate your stupidity!" Molt angrily shouted.

"I'm not stupid, I am trying to show these barbarians who is the superior power!" Zolzal said in his defense.

"Stop referring to them as that!" Molt angrily shouted. " You are failing to see the potential of having them as allies." He said.

"YOU ARE AN OLD MAN AND A FOOL!" Zolzal shouted at his father.

"You're right, I am a fool, a fool for trusting you." Molt started. "But you are the unworthy one in this room. You are unworthy of your title, unworthy of being called a prince, unworthy of the throne, and unworthy of the loved ones that you have betrayed. Your actions have sealed your fate, your name from now on is hereby forfeit, you are stripped of your title of Crown Prince, disowned from my family, and sentenced to exile from the Empire until the end of your days!" Molt said.

Zolzal was rendered speechless by the punishment given to him by his father, and was about to speak when his father spoke again...

"You will be exiled this evening, until then you are to be imprisoned in Basoon prison." Molt ordered.

While the guards dragged a beaten Zolzal out of the room, Pinya decided to ask Xavier about how he knew that Zolzal was the saboteur...

 **Outside the Senate Chamber**

 **8:30 am**

The group sat outside of the Senate chamber with Pinya awaiting the announcement by Molt for them to return to the room. Xavier was standing off to the side, holding onto Reaver's mask, so Pinya decided to ask him how he knew...

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Moore?" Pinya asked.

"Yes?" Xavier said.

"How did you know that my brother was disguised as a Ghost?" Pinya inquired.

"Do you remember that first lesson that all Ghosts are taught?" Xavier said.

"Always have a keen eye for detail." Pinya said.

"I kept a close eye on him after I witnessed your brother standing over the body of a Ghost one evening. Then, every single sabotage that had been inflicted upon some of our equipment on the base was sloppy, looking as if it was done by a rookie in a hurry. He also tried to blend in with the other Ghosts, but every time he only slipped by unnoticed because of sheer dumb luck. He's a terrible actor and he has blonde hair while the real Reaver has dark brown hair." Xavier said.

"I can't believe it, he was right under noses the whole time." Dante said in disbelief .

"This raises some serious questions about our security." Suragawa said.

"I'm thinking that a new security measure that is going to be in place for the base." Daniel said.

"Yeah, I'm thinking that all Ghosts on the base should have to take off their masks when they are not in the field." Itami said.

"Agreed, we can't have any more security breaches." Xavier said.

"They're ready for us." Pinya said after a guard spoke to her.

"Time to go in." Xavier said.

The group returned to the chamber, bearing witness to the biggest heated arguments between the two Senate factions. The Emperor silenced the Senate once again, then proceeded to speak...

"Commander Perez, it appears that I am indebted to the Ghosts." Molt said.

"I not surprised, my soldiers work to be the best of the best." Daniel said.

"First, they save the lives of my youngest son and my daughter, then they save the city of Italica from a bandit army, then rescue the captive second in command to my daughter, now thwarted my oldest son's attempt on my life." Molt said.

"My people are dedicated to ensuring that the security of both our own home and any high value individuals is strong." Daniel said.

"Well, their hard work is about to pay off." Molt said.

"Really now?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, by my right as Emperor, I hereby name you and your soldiers, champions of the Empire." Molt started. "For you Commander Perez, for training such fine soldiers, I hereby grant to you the title of Nobleman and my former oldest son's estate and all associated revenues and staff. Lieutenant Moore, for saving my life and that of my other two children's lives, I hereby grant you the title of Nobleman and declare you an Imperial Hero, and I believe my daughter has something to say."Molt said as two rose knights entered the room carrying objects covered by red cloth.

"Lieutenants Moore and Perez, for actions in the battle of Italica, saving mine and my brother Diabo's lives, and participating in the rescue of my second in command, I name both of you and your soldiers honorary members of the Rose Knight Order. Please, accept these blades as your badge of honor." Pinya said, signalling the two girls.

The girls removed the cloth sheets, revealing two elegantly designed, sheathed longswords on a wooden board. The two boys picked up the blades and examined them before sheathing them.

"Thank you, your highness." Xavier said.

"Commander Perez, I shall meet with the other leaders of the vassal states in order to discuss the terms of the relocation of your people." Molt said.

"Thank you, your highness, on behalf of the people of Earth, we thank you." Daniel said.

 **This chapter concludes with Zolzal failing in the last effort to start a war between the Ghosts and the Empire by assassinating his father, and ending up being stripped of his title of Crown Prince, disowned from the royal family, and exiled from the Empire until the end of his days. The Ghosts received great rewards for their actions including beating Zolzal down, and Molt begins to discuss the relocation of the people of the world beyond the Gate. The next chapter, the Pro-War Faction does not take the punishment given to Zolzal lightly, and a new nation is born...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	14. Chapter 14: A House Divided

**Chapter 14: A House Divided**

 **Imperial Senate Building**

 **8:41 am**

The boys had just received their rewards for their actions, but they had become under fire from the Pro-War Faction senators, who were outraged by the choice of rewarding the people that were not native to the Empire. One of the supporters of the Pro-War Faction, Lord Arcann, stood up angrily to speak...

"We will not abide by this!" Arcann said.

"The Emperor has spoken." Marquess Casel said.

"Lord Arcann, stand down!" Emperor Molt ordered.

"We will not allow these outsiders taint the purity of our Empire!" Arcann shouted, drawing his sword.

"Watch out, they've brought weapons!" Lord Cicero shouted.

"Guards!" Molt shouted.

Everyone of the Pro-War Faction senators drew swords and they charged the visitors and the Pro-peace Faction senators. Every one of the soldiers in the Senate chamber readied for battle. The Ghosts and JSDF soldiers helped evacuate the other members of the pro-peace faction out of the room, and pushed back the attackers. The Pro-War Faction senators fought back against the guards, but eventually retreated from the chamber after several of their members were killed by either the guards or the visitors.

"I cannot believe that they would do that." Cicero said.

"They won't get far." Molt said as an officer entered the room and walked up to the Emperor.

"Your highness! Are you alright?" The officer said.

"I'm fine, send messengers to all city guard stations, I want them on high alert for the Pro-War Faction senators." Molt ordered.

"Understood, your highness." The officer said.

"That was a tough fight, I can't believe that they would attack us." Dante said, reloading his rifle.

"They've become desperate, they had just witnessed their leader be stripped of his title of Crown Prince and be sentenced to exile." Xavier said.

"He's right, they are becoming more desperate to try to start a war between us." Pinya said.

"Well, they will do anything now to get a war started." Suragawa said as he helped a wounded senator.

"I shall mention this to the Vassal State Leaders. I will also make a formal announcement to the people about this." Molt said.

"Understood, we shall return to Temple Base until you require our assistance." Daniel said.

"Why don't you take a tour of your brand new estate?" Pinya said.

"Yeah, dad, why don't you check out the new home we got?" Dante said.

"Don't be a kiss ass, and I think I'll check out the place myself." Daniel said to his son.

"I shall have a carriage to take you there." Pinya said.

"I'll take the group back to Temple Base." Xavier said.

The group left for Temple Base, while Daniel left in a carriage for the estate that formerly had belonged to the ex-Crown Prince Zolzal. The estate was a large building that was grey and gold color, with statues of Zolzal lining the sides of the road up to the estate.

"He really liked to show off his ego, didn't he?" Daniel said to Panache.

"It was all he could do, the girls are probably going to be relieved that he's going to be exiled." Panache said.

"Girls?" Daniel asked.

"Zolzal possessed a large number of sex slaves. Some were slaves that he purchased at slave markets, others were women from enemies that the Empire conquered." Panache explained.

"So he liked to show off his ego, and he can't keep it in his pants." Daniel said.

"That's a good way to put it." Panache said.

"Well, I can keep it in my pants. So I'll be giving the girls what he denied them." Daniel said.

"You'll be setting them free?" Panache asked.

"Yeah, I want to set a good example for my sons when I am gone." Daniel said.

"So you are going to set them free so that your children will follow suit." Panache said.

"Yeah, it's because of the fact that I'm the only family that they have left." Daniel explained.

"Where is their mother in all of this?" Panache asked.

"She died during the Hell Year." Daniel said.

"What happened?" Panache said.

"She was killed by a Howler that had broken through the settlement defenses one day. Got through while the rest of his buddies were attacking our defenses." Daniel said.

"The Howlers murdered your wife?" Panache asked.

"Yeah, and after that day, Dante developed a strong hatred of the Howlers." Daniel explained.

"Well, it's time to get acquainted with your new home staff." Panache said.

The duo stepped out of the carriage and were greeted by the staff of the estate, which had consisted of over 145 butlers, 30 cooks and bakers, and 206 maids. The sheer number of the people who had worked for Zolzal had Daniel speechless. Panache walked up to the group that was wondering who the man who was accompanying Lady Panache was so she could explain...

"Listen up, I'm sure that you were informed of what has become of your former master, am I correct?" Panache asked the staff.

"Yes." The staff responded.

"Then allow me to introduce you to your new master, this is Daniel Perez, leader of the Ghosts, saviors of Italica, Champions of the Empire, and defenders of the Emperor." Panache explained.

"Greetings, Master." The Staff said.

"Hello." Daniel said.

"The staff of the estate will obey your every command, and the soldiers that patrol the grounds will protect you." Panache said.

"Thank you, ma'am." Daniel said.

"I checked with your soldiers, the estate is in close radio contact with your base." Panache added.

"Good, I can contact them should I be on my way back." Daniel said as one of the maids walked up.

"This is Meredith, she is the head maid of the house." Panache said, introducing the young girl.

"Greetings, Master." Meredith said.

"Hello." Daniel said.

"He is here to tour the estate grounds so he can understand the place better." Panache said.

"Understood, I will show him around myself." Meredith said.

"Well, I must return to the others to oversee the other half of the boys' reward." Panache said, walking back to the carriage.

"Other half?" Daniel said.

"The princess has commissioned special suits of armor for them. I'm going to be overseeing the development of the armor." Panache explained.

"That's nice of her." Daniel said.

"Well, shall we begin the tour?" Meredith asked.

"Let's begin, you can lead the way." Daniel said.

Meredith led Daniel into the building, showing him around the massive building that was now his. He walked along with her, passing by potraits of Zolzal (picking up their pace after passing by a nude potrait.), stopping outside of the area where Zolzal had kept his sex slaves...

"These are the holding cells, he would use these to hold onto his slaves and other prisoners that he would torture." Meredith said.

"The sex slaves are all here?" Daniel asked.

"Yes." Meredith said.

"Get them together, I would like to have a word with them." Daniel said.

"I'll have them brought to the courtyard." Meredith said.

"Ok, see you up there." Daniel said.

 **Estate Courtyard**

 **8:46 am**

Daniel was sitting on a chair with 8 stone benches in front of him, waiting for the slaves to be brought up to the courtyard. Two guards came out with the girls behind them in chains, and the girls were sat down on the benches and the guards left the courtyard.

"Ladies, I am sure that you were not informed of the biggest change that was coming to your lives. So let me fill in the blanks for you, your former master is set to be exiled for the attempted murder of his father, and is also disowned from the royal family. So he no longer has ownership of your lives, I do." Daniel started.

"Then what will you do with us?" One of the girls asked.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Daniel asked.

"What do you mean?" Another girl asked.

"I am not going to be like that arrogant bastard of a former master that you had. I'm letting you all go, in which you can pursue the life of your own choosing." Daniel said before noticing that one of the girls looked familiar.

"Are you alright?" Daniel asked the girl.

"I'm just so happy...but I am sad as well." Noriko said.

"Why are you sad?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know how to get home and I miss Hiroki." Noriko said.

Daniel immediately stopped talking and thought to himself as he had seen this girl before. He thought about it for a couple of moments until it came to him, this girl was in fact a Japanese citizen named Noriko Mochizuki who had disappeared from Japan, as he seen missing persons fliers being handed out by her family when he went on a trip to Japan after he won a contest...

"Wait, are you Noriko Mochizuki?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, I am." Noriko said as Meredith walked up with a large book in hand.

"Meredith? Why is there a Japanese citizen here?" Daniel demanded.

"I expected this to happen, so I brought a ledger that Zolzal had kept about his slaves." Meredith said, handing him the book.

"What is this?" Daniel asked.

"The former Crown Prince's ledger, he used it to catalog the locations where he acquired the slaves." Meredith explained.

Daniel opened up the book, seeing all of the places where Zolzal had acquired his slaves from slave markets in Elbe, the names of tribes or small nations that the Empire conquered, but the one location that stuck out was the Ginza district of Japan, which was where Noriko and Hiroki were kidnapped from. He picked up his personal radio, immediately contacting Temple Base...

"Gravekeeper to Temple Base, come in Temple." Daniel said.

" _Gravekeeper, this is Kingpin calling from Temple Base._ " Xavier said over the radio.

"Kingpin, inform our Japanese guests that I have made a discovery." Daniel explained.

" _What did you learn?_ " Xavier asked.

"Apparently, the former Crown Prince was sending scouting parties through a second gate that was located in Japan." Daniel said.

" _The Empire was scouting our world?_ " Xavier asked.

"More than that, they've brought a couple of "trophies", and by trophies, I mean Japanese citizens." Daniel explained.

" _What? My god, the former Crown Prince is a diplomatic incident waiting to happen. The Japanese folks are going to be pissed off at this."_ Xavier said.

"It's more than that, they even kidnapped a few of our own people, I got a few American names on this list that I am looking at." Daniel said.

" _If word gets out about this, a lot of our folks will be pissed off to the point that we wouldn't have to worry about Zolzal trying to start a war._ " Xavier said.

"Anyway, I found one of the Japanese citizens that were kidnapped, so when you come to pick me up, bring a medic and a change of clothes for them." Daniel said.

" _Really?_ " Xavier asked.

"Yeah, girl by the name of Noriko Mochizuki, I found her after I had given them their freedom." Daniel explained.

" _I'll have Dustin and Kuribayashi head over to pick you both up. Anyway, I'll be at the Emperor's announcement this afternoon and the folks back at Sanctuary have been working on establishing a open band connection with the surviving military branches and other world leaders."_ Xavier explained.

"You're going to be at the Emperor's announcement?" Daniel asked.

" _Pinya invited me, she said that there were some things that she wanted to discuss with me, mainly the establishment of an embassy for us._ " Xavier explained.

"Which countries are still intact after COLOSSUS Day?" Daniel asked.

" _Well Japan is obvious, but we have picked up radio transmissions coming from China, The U.K, Germany, and the Ukraine._ " Xavier explained.

"Just them?" Daniel asked in disbelief.

" _They were the lucky ones, just the southern half of the UK was devastated by tsunamis created by kinetic bombardment, while the Ukraine was beaten down by Gamma storms coming from Russia."_ Xavier said.

"I hadn't expected it to have gotten that bad. Talk to you later." Daniel said.

Daniel was flipping through the pages of the book, in which he came across a name that belonged to an American citizen who had disappeared that he had known from his time in the military before COLOSSUS Day. That name was Danica Shepard, and she was a member of the engineering division on the base he was stationed in back then. This furthered his anger at the former Crown Prince for kidnapping a close friend of his.

" _Damn you, Zolzal, I hope you don't survive your exile._ " Daniel thought as a butler walked up behind him.

"Excuse me, sir?" The butler said.

"Yes?" Daniel asked, snapping back to reality.

"There is a truck belonging to your people coming up the road." The butler said.

"Okay, and a quick question?" Daniel asked.

"Yes sir?" The butler said.

"Do you know what happened to this woman?" Daniel asked, pointing to Danica's name.

"Miss Shepard? She died a while ago." The butler explained.

"What happened?" Daniel asked, though he appeared to shaken by the news.

"Prince Zolzal killed her in a fit of rage, he had discovered that she had been pregnant with his child." The butler explained.

"Pregnant?" Daniel asked.

"He wanted both her and the child dead, but the child had disappeared before he could find it." The butler explained.

This made him wonder about it, his old friend has a child out there that Zolzal tried to murder. He was shaken by the news of his old friend being murdered by the former Crown Prince, but was surprised by the news of her giving birth to a baby that was the illegitimate child of him. The butler decided to tell him a possible lead to find the child...

"You know, I know that the former head maid of the estate had recently become a parent of an infant." The butler said.

"Who was the former head maid?" Daniel asked.

"Moira, she lives in the southern half of the Empire." The butler explained before leaving.

Daniel walked out to meet with the truck, in which the duo exited the truck as Kuribayashi exited with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder and Field Medic Dustin Swizdor accompanying her with a medical bag on his back.

"Xavier told us about Noriko, where is she?" Kuribayashi asked.

"She's inside, follow me." Daniel said.

While Daniel was introducing the two soldiers to Noriko, Xavier was about to witness Emperor Molt issue a proclamation to the people...

 **Imperial Palace Central Plaza**

 **9:01 am.**

The Capital's citizens and the Imperial Military gathered in the plaza around the Palace to hear the public announcement that Molt was about to make regarding the recent events. The soldiers were chatting with each other about what the Emperor had to say, while Xavier, Diabo, and Pinya took positions near the ledge where the announcement was going to be spoken to make sure that nothing bad will happen to him during the speech...

" _Kingpin, this is Panther, we are in position with a clear line of sight on the eastern side._ " A soldier said over Xavier's radio.

"Copy that, Panther." Xavier said.

" _Sierra is at the South perimeter._ " Another soldier said over the radio.

" _This is Castle team, we're in position in the chapel tower._ " Another one said.

"Copy teams, VIP Dragon is about to begin the speech, be on standby for the slightest sight of trouble." Xavier said as Molt took his place at the balcony overlooking the crowd.

"Attention, I am sure that you all have heard the stories of the people of the world beyond the Gate and their presence in our world. To all citizens, the stories of these men and women in the dark clothes are just stories. These people are real, and they have experienced tragedy, suffering, and loss just as we have when our mighty Empire had first began many centuries ago. But what they had suffered was far greater than any suffering that we have encountered, as a dark event had destroyed the world that they had called home for a long time. This event was caused by a dark and powerful COLOSSUS, which had destroyed their civilization before their very eyes, and transformed their landscape. But they have overcome the tragedy, and they have remained strong. During their time in our world, they have preformed a great many actions that have been kind to our people, such as defending the city of Italica from the bandit army, aiding the people of Coda Village, and combating the monstrous Fire Dragon are all achievements of theirs. But the time for me to tell you, that just 1 hour ago, members of the Senate have attempted to stage a coup attempt against me after I had delivered punishment to Zolzal for a heinous crime that he had committed. The crime that he had committed was the betrayal of the people, as he chose to pursue war than peace. The duty of a leader is to know when there is a time for peace and a time for war, and he has failed to learn that lesson, betraying the Empire in the process. The Senate members involved in this coup have also betrayed the people of this nation, as they had spilled the blood of their defenders, the proud Imperial Army, on the floor of the Senate chamber in this attempt." Molt said.

Shouts of outrage and anger sounded through the massive crowds of people, including angered remarks by the Imperial Military forces that were gathered in the plaza. Xavier was surprised by how many people were angry...

"Traitors are the ones who allow their thirst for violence, their bloodlust, to control them which can bring civilizations to ruin. It is traitors like these that will be the ruin of our nation, we are a nation that doesn't fight against itself, a nation that remains strong when we are united, an Empire that stands as one! These people of the world beyond the Gate need a new home, and we must be willing to take a chance and accept these newcomers as I firmly believe that they will be the greatest allies that we have ever made before! So I ask of you now, when you tell your children years from now, what will be the story you tell them? Will it be a tragic tale of how the Empire fell to madness and arrogance? Or will it be a tale of how the Empire rose to new heights as it became a new nation with the power of a new ally by its side? Follow my banner and we shall write the greatest tale for your children!" Molt exclaimed, raising the Imperial flag above his head.

The crowd exclaimed with excitement and every soldiers let out a chant that echoed throughout the Capital, in which it gave hope to the people. Xavier went to the side with Pinya in order to discuss the business she had wanted to discuss...

"What did you want to talk about?" Xavier asked.

"Just a couple of things, such as the location of an embassy for your people." Pinya explained.

"What did you have in mind?" Xavier said.

"There is an unused palace, just a couple of miles away from the West Gate to the city. It is called the Jade Palace, and it's original owners had passed away, leaving no other heirs to claim it." Pinya said.

"So you are offering to allow my people to use it as an embassy." Xavier said.

"Yes, it will belong to your people once the relocation is complete." Pinya said.

"Thank you, your highness." Xavier said.

"The next matter is regarding the Pro-War Faction senators, they have hidden in the shadows and only a few of them have been captured." Pinya said.

"So you want our assistance?" Xavier asked.

"My father wants to create what you call a" task force" to hunt down the traitors for their actions." Pinya said.

"Why does he want our assistance with this task force?" Xavier said.

"He wants the Ghosts to train the recruits for the group." Pinya explained.

"He wants the best of the best for this job, then?" Xavier asked.

"Yes." Pinya said.

"I'll talk to Commander Perez when I get back to Temple Base, though I think that he's probably gone to Sanctuary to speak with the surviving world leaders." Xavier said.

"I look forward to the future that awaits us." Pinya said.

Xavier and the security detail that he brought with him in order to prevent any attacks on the Emperor as he had given the announcement of the betrayal by Zolzal and the other members of the Pro-War Faction of the Senate. While Xavier was at the Emperor's announcement, Daniel had returned to Sanctuary to speak with the surviving world leaders about the relocation of their people to the other side of the Gate...

 **Tombstone Communications Hub**

 **Sanctuary, Old New York**

 **6:39 pm**

The technicians of the Tombstone spent their time working on establishing a open band connection with the surviving world leaders so Daniel can inform them of the results of the negotiations with the Empire. The surviving world leaders were Interim Prime minister Damien Thatcher of the UK, President Duchong of China, German chancellor Tobias Merkel, son of Angela Merkel, and Sarah Paliskova of the Ukraine.

"Gentlemen, ma'am, by now you are probably aware of the existence of a Gateway to another world appearing here in the United States." Daniel said.

" _Yes, American, we have heard of this Gate, and how the Japanese have aided you in the study of the world beyond it._ " Duchong said.

" _Why would it open up on your soil, I wonder?_ " Thatcher said.

"Prime minister Thatcher, we are all on the same sinking ship, now is not the time to be making accusations." Daniel said.

" _He's not accusing the United States of anything, Commander Perez, he's been under a lot of pressure as he looks out for his people"_ Merkel said.

"Anyway, we have made contact with an Empire that resides across the Gate, and they are willing to take us in as they are aware of the fact that our world is dying." Daniel explained.

" _What is their military status?_ " Sarah asked.

"They are not as advanced as we are, as they have a militarized stature similar to the Roman Empire." Daniel explained.

" _I'm surprised that you haven't just killed them all and seized their lands, you have the firepower to do it._ " Duchong said.

"We have already seen enough death and destruction on COLOSSUS Day, we do not need to add any more blood on our hands President Duchong." Daniel said.

" _He's right, we have already killed enough of our own people when COLOSSUS Day occurred, we don't need to add the massacre of an entire civilization to the body count._ " Merkel said.

" _What are the terms of the relocation?_ " Thatcher said.

"We will would become a new independent vassal state under the Empire, with our own military forces, government, and economic structure." Daniel explained.

" _What?_ " Duchong exclaimed.

"I know that it sounds like a crazy plan, but we have no other options on the table." Daniel said.

" _Why should we cooperate with this plan?_ " Paliskova said, sounding not pleased.

"Because I know that you all want what is best for your people." Daniel said.

" _Paliskova, Commander Perez is right, we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves when the fate of our own people is at stake._ " Duchong said.

" _It's just, if we want to save our own people, we would have to bend knee to an Empire that that is primitive to us."_ Paliskova said.

"They are not primitive, they are civilized and are willing to help us." Daniel said.

" _Even if we were to relocate to the other side of the Gate, we would have no idea how to establish a new government when we cannot get along with each other."_ Thatcher explained.

"I know, that is why we must try to put our own differences aside, and not make the same mistakes that we made before COLOSSUS Day." Daniel said.

" _He's right, if we weren't going at each other's throats, we would have been able to identify the fact that COLOSSUS could easily be turned against ourselves with the push of a button."_ Merkel said.

"So, do we have an agreement?" Daniel asked.

" _The survivors of the United kingdom stand with the U.S and support the plan._ " Thatcher said.

" _I, President Duchong of the People's republic of China, pledge the support of my people to the plan._ " Duchong said.

" _Germany stands with the United States of America and support the plan._ " Merkel said.

"Well, Miss Paliskova?" Daniel asked.

" _The people of the Ukraine stand with the plan._ " Paliskova said.

"Then let it be known that on this day, we rose from the ashes of our dying world to begin again." Daniel said.

After concluding the meeting with the surviving world leaders, Daniel returned across the Gate to be present at the exile of Zolzal to see it be done...

 **Imperial Capital Main Gates**

 **Later in the evening...**

A large number of soldiers and civilians gathered in the plaza in front of the main gates to the Capital to await the exile of Zolzal, the former Crown Prince. Everyone had looks of anger on their faces, a large number of soldiers stood in a line in order to prevent the crowds from sparking violence as a prison wagon came down the street towards the Gate. Emperor Molt sat on a platform overlooking the crowd, with Pinya, Diabo,Daniel, and the Vassal State Leaders at his side to watch as the former Crown Prince was going to be driven out of the city for his actions. The carriage stopped in front of the platform, and two guardsmen pulled a chained Zolzal out of the wagon, dragging him before the Emperor...

"Zolzal, you are hereby sentenced to exile from the Empire and declared an enemy of the state for your treasonous actions, in which you will receive no aid from Imperial citizens, you will not be welcome in Imperial cities, and will be executed on sight should you make an attempt to return to the Capital." Molt said. "Guards, take the prisoner out of the city." He ordered.

The two men obeyed the command of their Emperor, walking the captive Zolzal out of the city through the massive gates, and leaving him outside the gates with the crowds watching. As they expected him to leave, he turned around to face everyone as he wanted to speak...

"I will return! I will reclaim my Empire from its own stupidity and destroy the barbarians once and for all!" Zolzal shouted.

"Xavier, can you please hurry him up before he starts to monologue." Daniel said into his radio.

" _You got it._ " Xavier responded.

Zolzal began to run as Xavier fired a suppressed sniper rifle at his feet to speed him along with the exile. Zolzal was determined to fulfill the declaration that he had proclaimed, vowing to one day reclaim the Empire and destroy the people of the world beyond the Gate once and for all...

 **This chapter concludes with Zolzal being exiled from the Empire, but vowing to one day reclaim it from Molt as he believed that the alliance with the survivors of the world beyond the Gate is unnecessary and they are nothing but barbarians. Daniel secures the support of the surviving world leaders for the relocation plan, thus making a new nation from the ashes of their world, a nation that will unify the broken people of the Earth together. The next chapter will start off with the formation of the Watchdogs, an Imperial force of soldiers trained by the Ghosts to hunt down and arrest the traitorous Pro-War Faction senators that hide in the shadows, and the rise of the United Earth Coalition Government, in which they aid the Empire with new advancements in multiple fields. But over the course of the transition, a certain enemy of Phantom Squad's resurfaces...**

 **WAIT AND SEE...**


	15. Chapter 15: Hunters on the prowl

**Chapter 15: Hunters on the prowl.**

 **Imperial Army training camp**

 **8:30 am**

 **The next morning...**

A group of Imperial recruits gathered in the courtyard of the training camp take part in a training exercise for the formation of the Watchdogs, an Imperial fighting force trained by the Ghosts in order to hunt down and arrest the traitorous Pro-War Faction senators. Xavier and Dante were accompanied by a group of Ghosts to oversee the training of the Watchdog recruits, with an obstacle course constructed by engineers from Temple Base. An Imperial officer walked up to the front of the recruits and began to speak...

"Listen up, you have been selected to be members of the fighting force to hunt down and arrest the traitorous Pro-War Faction senators, and these gentlemen will be your trainers. Obey their commands and you will be on the frontlines of hunting the traitorous Pro-War Faction senators, do you understand?!" The officer said.

"SIR, YES SIR!" The recruits shouted.

"I will now leave you in the hands of First Lieutenant Xavier Moore." The officer said.

"Thank you, sir." Xavier said as the officer walked away. "Over the course of your training, you will be pushed to the breaking point through tough obstacles and training exercises. The reason for such extensive training is because of the fact that your Emperor and your superiors don't tolerate failure, especially when it comes to the people who had betrayed the Empire and your leader, in which you will never fail after we're through with you." He explained.

"Ain't that right?" Dante said.

"SIR, YES SIR!" The recruits shouted.

"What we are going to be teaching you is stuff that will make you feel like you're going to be failing to pieces, about to collapse, so we are going to ask for all you have. Remember that you are fighting for your Emperor, your nation, and your people." Xavier said.

"Don't forget that, because it will be the force that is gonna be driving you throughout the training." Dante said.

"Now, the obstacle course behind me is to test your endurance and push you to the breaking point. My associates here will guide you through the course, and if you fail to complete the course, you will be going back to the start and do it again." Xavier explained.

Xavier turned the instructions over to the other Ghosts that had accompanied him, which were former members of the U.S army rangers, marines, and Navy Seals. They were Rourke Denver, Sandra Kellogg, and Noah Galloway, who were chief instructors for the Ghosts due to their former involvement with the military branches before COLOSSUS Day had happened to the world. The recruits ran through the massive obstacle course, looking as if they were about to fall apart through the course of the training, in which they had just reached the final stage of their training...

"Well done, I'm surprised that they haven't given up." Xavier said.

"These guys must really not want to disappoint their Emperor." Noah said.

"Classic military belief, soldiers have to be at their best as they don't just represent themselves but their nation." Rourke said.

"I'm surprised that they survived our military's style of training." Sandra said.

"Well, let's teach them their final lesson." Xavier said, walking up to the cases on the table.

"What is this?" Demetrius, one of the recruits asked.

"Your final lesson. If you think that you're going to be using ordinary weapons, think again." Xavier said, opening up a case, revealing a series of modified revolvers.

"These are modified Remington Colt Army revolvers that the Think Tank repaired after they were salvaged from the ruins of a Civil war museum." Rourke explained as a recruit raised his hand.

"Yes?" Noah said.

"What Civil war are you talking about?" Alucard, another recruit, asked.

"It was when the southern half of the nation that we all came from rebelled against the North over how the Southern states would be governed." Sandra explained.

"The overall reason for the war was that they disputed over the existence of the slave trade in the nation." Noah said.

"History lesson aside, my associate, First Lieutenant Perez, is going to demonstrate how to use the gun properly." Xavier said.

"Alright, the first thing that I will show you how not to use it." Dante said.

The recruits watched as Dante fired from the hip, taking down a series of wooden targets that were standing up ahead of them. After emptying the revolver chambers, Dante turned back to the table to speak and reload...

"Now what did I do wrong?" Dante asked the recruits.

"Nothing, you took down the targets." Demetrius said.

"( _Imitating a buzzer._ ) That is incorrect, recruit." Dante said.

"What?" Alucard asked.

"He may have taken down the targets, but he also sprayed bullets all over the range." Xavier started. "Wielding a firearm like this is not all about spraying and praying, you need to remember two important things to use in the field: Accuracy and Control. So you have to aim down the sights of the weapon, which Mr. Denver and Miss Kellogg will show you." Xavier explained.

"The sight of your sidearm is the little notch towards the hammer of the gun, which is aligned with the large piece of metal on the tip of the barrel of the gun." Dante explained.

"The hammer is the curved metal shape just above the handle of the gun, and the barrel is the long metal tube." Noah said.

"You have got to aim down your sights in order to get accurate shots. When you use your firearms in the field, aim down your sights, Dante will now show you how it's done." Xavier said.

Dante demonstrated how to use the gun properly, in which the recruits were eventually lining up to try their luck at using a firearm. They were a little startled at first, but adjusted to the use of the weapons that were going to use for the task that lies ahead.

 **The next day...**

 **Watchdogs Formal Induction Ceremony**

 **Imperial Palace Ballroom.**

 **11:09 am**

The palace ballroom was filled with the senators of the Pro-Peace Faction and their families, the envoys from Temple Base, and many high-ranking Imperial military officials. The Watchdogs were wearing elaborate uniforms, blackened armor that was covering red fabric underneath, sitting at a long table towards the front of the room. Xavier and the other instructors were sitting with the Emperor, Pinya, and Diabo at the front of the room in their formal officer's uniforms. Molt stood up to give a speech...

"On this day, I hereby declare this day the founding of the Watchdogs. Gentlemen, you carry the might of the Empire and the wrath of the people in your veins. Hunt down the traitorous Pro-War Faction senators so they cower in your presence." Molt said with the attendees letting out a thunderous applause.

"I would also like to thank their instructors, the best members of the Ghosts that have ever been produced." Molt said as the audience applauded.

Xavier knew that the Watchdogs were not going to fail the mission that had been set before them, as they were trained to be the greatest fighting force in the Empire. The Pro-War Faction senators have no idea what is coming...

 _ **Later that evening...**_

 **Imperial Capital**

 **8:10 pm**

Lord Victus, a member of the Pro-War Faction senators, was trying to maneuver his way through the city streets in order to avoid the detection of the soldiers that were prowling the streets. He ducked inside one of the buildings where he came across Lord Arcann, who was clutching his side where blood was soaking into his robe...

"Lord Arcann, what happened to you?" Victus asked.

"The Watchdogs ambushed me, and one of them got a lucky shot at me." Arcann said as Victus helped him sit up.

"A weapon did this to you?" Victus asked.

"Yes, a weapon that the Ghosts had supplied them." Arcann said.

"How are they able to use these weapons?" Victus said.

"They were trained by the Ghosts, and we must escape the city." Arcann said.

"I heard that some of the others got out of the city in time, but the others have been either captured or killed by the Watchdogs." Victus explained.

"Were you followed?" Arcann asked in a alarmed tone.

"No, I couldn't see anything with the streets darkened." Victus said.

"Then why are the streets lit up?" Arcann asked before shots rang out.

Victus watched as the members of the Watchdogs kicked down the door and crashed through the windows, surrounding the two men with their revolvers pointed at them.

"I am Hector, commander of the Watchdogs, you two are under arrest for treason against the Empire and the attempted murder of our Emperor." The Watchdogs Commander said.

"We are not traitors!" Arcann shouted.

"So says the traitorous Pro-War Faction senators. Chain them." Hector ordered the men.

Victus was immediately cuffed by the Watchdogs, but when they attempted to place iron cuffs on Arcann, only for him to try and grab the barrel of one of the guns. The soldier reacted and pulled the trigger, shooting Arcann in the throat. Victus watched in horror as blood splurted out of Arcann's mouth and throat, and the Watchdogs were completely unmoved by the sight.

"Goddamnit, I hate it when they do that." The soldier who pulled the trigger said.

"That pales in comparison to what the Emperor has in mind for the traitors if they do not renounce their support for the former Crown Prince." Hector said.

"True, lock him up in the wagon." The soldier said, looking at Victus.

Another Watchdog grabbed the speechless Victus and hauled him out of the building where the Watchdogs were met by Jameson Bentley, a former police officer before COLOSSUS Day now a consultant to the Watchdogs, about the results of the capture.

"How did it go?" Jameson asked.

"We have Lord Victus in custody, but Lord Arcann has been killed." Hector said.

"The Ghosts' psychological evaluation of him declared him prone to violence and rash thinking, so his death was clearly expected." Jameson said.

"Victus has been more complying with us, it seems that he has started to become disillusioned with the cause of the Pro-War Faction." Hector explained.

"That's a good thing, maybe the others might follow his lead. Spares us the trouble of hunting them all down." Jameson said in a humored tone.

"Let us hope so, a few managed to escape the city limits." Hector said.

"Don't worry, the Ghosts and their allies will keep a vigilant watch for them and put the hurt down them." Jameson said.

"Let's hope that they will tell the Emperor when they find them." Hector pointed out.

"The Ghosts aren't going to steal all of the glory, they know that the Empire will want in on the fight." Jameson said in an honest tone.

Hector and the other Watchdogs took off with the captured senator, while Jameson took off in his jeep to go file his report on the Watchdogs' latest capture, thinking to himself along the way...

 _ **5 months later...**_

 **Kabar Shores, Province of Elbe.**

 **Imperial Forward Military Camp.**

 **3:58 am**

The remaining Pro-War Faction senators had fled into the shadows after several of their members were captured by the Watchdogs, secretly conspiring to wage war on the Empire and the Ghosts in order to "restore the purity of the Empire" by overthrowing Molt and placing Zolzal in power. But the rebel forces couldn't find Zolzal as he had disappeared within the first few months of his exile, and their efforts to attack the Empire drew the attention of both the Empire and the other Vassal states, including the newly formed United Earth Coalition Government. The Imperial Military forces and the UECG'S soldiers established a forward encampment to observe the battle of Caer Saladin, a shoreline fortress that the rebels took command of...

"How are the rebels holding out this long?" Xavier said.

"Caer Saladin is built to be a strategic position in the province of Elbe, it can withstand any siege." The Imperial General said.

"So it's designed to be able to withstand any siege?" Li Chang, A chinese commander, said.

"Our boys in the Hammer-Down Legion are making short work of the walls, but its taking too long." Scott, a member of the legion, said.

"There is an inlet on the other side of the fort, they could easily escape." An Imperial officer exclaimed.

"Their trebuchets are preventing our forces from getting a foothold." A soldier that arrived in the tent said.

"Pull yourselves together, we can get these problems solved. Call'em in." Xavier said to a radio operator.

"Who are you going to contact?" The Imperial General asked.

"The solution to these problems." Xavier said.

"Missuori, Gunfighter units, you are a go." The radio operator said.

As the battle raged on, a massive shape appeared in the water behind the fort in the fog. A massive metal vessel appeared in the water, pointing its 16-inch long cannons at the inlet. Xavier knew what vessel that was, it was one of the oldest surviving battleships that was part of the UECG'S naval fleet, and it was a ship that had survived a war in the past. It was the USS Missouri, a vessel that once fought in the battles of World War two and rescued on COLOSSUS Day by the veterans who served on her and a group of civilians that escaped aboard before tidal waves devastated Pearl harbor. It served alongside the Wisconsin, which had been recovered from Norfolk before COLOSSUS Day devastated the city, and is now a member of the UECG'S naval fleet.

"What is that?" The Imperial General asked in a confused tone.

"That is the solution to your inlet problem." Xavier said.

"An iron sea beast?" The Imperial General said.

"That is called a Battleship." Li Chang explained.

"Cover your ears because it is about to get loud." Xavier said.

The battleship's 16-inch long cannons fired upon the inlet, scattering and killing several of the rebels that tried to escape the fort. The Imperial General was mortified by the devastating power of the battleship that was in the possession of their newest allies. He then began to hear the sound of helicopters, in which he turned to see two apache helicopters fully armed, fly over the hill and towards the trebuchets...

" _Gunfighter 2-0, you have the green light to engage._ " The radio operator said.

"Copy that." Alleecia said.

"Let's go wreck those trebuchets." Anna said.

" _Gunfighter 03, let's light them up._ " Alleecia said to the other chopper via the radio.

The two helicopters mobilized and attacked the trebuchet positions, killing the operating crews and destroying the weapons themselves. As a result of their actions, the Imperial army was able to advance with the UECG'S forces providing support. The rebel leaders were killed when they had refused to surrender, in which the surviving rebels surrendered to the Imperial army since their leadership was dead.

"Well, this was exhilarating." Li Chang said.

"Feels good to be back in the field after COLOSSUS Day." Xavier said.

"At least we're not fighting each other anymore, in which we're now fighting under the same national banner." Scott said.

"Your military is strong, and is deadly when combined with the Imperial Military." The General said.

"Soon, our top instructors will be creating a new addition to your military personnel." Xavier explained.

"I look forward to seeing this new military division." The General said.

The two military forces went their separate ways, with the Imperial Military forces returning to the Capital with their prisoners, and the UECG forces returning to Providence, the Capital of the UECG'S territory. The convoy traveled across straight roads, passing by a hooded, elven traveler who watched as the military-issue vehicles passed by with the helicopters flying over head. This elven woman had a look of hope in her eyes, as she knew that these were the people who were like a powerful, supernatural force as she needed their aid...

 **3 Days earlier...**

 **Schwartz Woods, Province of Elbe.**

 **Unnamed Dark Elf Settlement.**

 **3:09 pm.**

The Dark Elf Settlement that resided in the heart of the Schwartz Woods was in chaos, as the Dark elves that called it home fled as the forest was set ablaze. The source of the fire was a familiar enemy that had tangled with the Ghosts before: it was the Fire Dragon that had attacked the Ghosts in the Badlands when they were escorting the villagers of Coda Village during their evacuation. The right half of the beast was scorched on the spot where the arm was shot off by the rocket, as the scales were blackened by the heat of the blast.

"Get to safety! Hurry!" The Dark Elf chieftains screamed to their people.

Yao Haa Dushi, a female dark elf warrior, watched in horror as several of her comrades were slaughtered by the attacking dragon, coupled with the trauma of seeing her friends die in the flames. She fled alongside the other elves that were trying to get away from the flames, in which they took refuge in the nearby caves...

"How many did we lose?" The older chieftain asked the lead warrior.

"32 of our people, plus the ones who could not escape the buildings when the dragon attacked." The warrior explained.

"How can we beat a beast with an indestructible hide?" A warrior asked with a terrified tone.

"We need to get the aid of the warriors in black." A villager said.

"The warriors in black?" The young chieftain asked.

"I heard about them from one of the merchants who passed through our settlement awhile ago." The villager explained.

"What did he tell you?" Yao asked.

"He told me that they saved hundreds of people that were evacuating when word got out about a Dragon attack on our cousins of the eastern woodlands. They driven the beast off with a weapon that was shaped like an iron cock that breathed fire and spat metal, and they were dressed in black with masks that made them appear as agents of death itself." The villager explained.

"We must seek out the aid of these warriors." The second older chieftain said.

"But who shall we send to seek these people out?" The lead warrior asked.

"I shall do it." Yao said.

"Let us meet to discuss the matter, Yao." The Chieftain said.

 **Further in the cave...**

The three chieftains sat around a fire with Yao kneeling on the other side of them in her travel gear, awaiting her instructions for the task that would lie ahead of her. A sack with a large, glistening metallic stone sat in front of her on the ground.

"Our sources confirmed that the warriors in black reside in a city known as Providence. Which is a 3-day journey from here as it lies south of our territory." The first chieftain explained.

"The item that lies before you will be compensation for their aid." The second chieftain said.

"Yao Haa Dushi, you have lost your spouse and many friends to the beast that threatens our people, and you now have an important mission that lies ahead." The third chieftain said.

"I understand." Yao said.

"The fate of our people rests on your shoulders, please get the aid of the warriors in black." The first chieftain explained.

"I will, and I will not rest until the warriors in black come back with me." Yao said.

In the middle of the night, Yao set out on her quest to seek the aid of the warriors in black (The Ghosts) as they had clashed with the beast that now threatens to eradicate their people.

 **This chapter concludes with the defeat of the rebels that tried to overthrow the government and the introduction of Yao and her tribe as they are under fire by the ruthless Fire Dragon that was wounded in the fight with the Ghosts in the Badlands, which removed one of its arms with a rocket launcher. She sets out to find the City of Providence in order to get the aid of the Ghosts in order to finally end the beast that threatens her people. Before I explain the details for the next chapter, I would like to make a special announcement, if there are readers that are checking out this story that know of the story RWBY: Tainted Blood, I would like to announce that I will be releasing a rewritten and remastered version of that story when I finish this one. It will contain never before seen scenes, it will have a brand new introduction scene, there will be new characters and an ending that will leave you wanting to see more, and I will show you the brand new introduction scene at the end of this story. The next chapter will pair Itami and Xavier with a group of allies to aid Yao in battling the Fire Dragon, the dark secret that is centered around the awakening of the Fire Dragon ahead of its hibernation cycle will be revealed, and Daniel's investigation into the identity of Zolzal's illegitimate child will come to a surprising end. Furthermore, Tyuule will make a deal with Daniel that will change her life forever...**

 **WAIT AND SEE...**


	16. Chapter 16: Fire in the Sky

**Chapter 16: Fire in the Sky**

 **Fort Tombstone Airfield**

 **Fort Tombstone, New Sanctuary**

 **Province of Takuma, UECG territory.**

 **4:10 am**

After their involvement in the battle against the rebellion caused the other Pro-War Faction senators, the Ghosts had returned to their base in the Capital of the UECG. New Sanctuary was the established capital of the United Earth Coalition Government and its construction was successful due to the contributions from the Empire and the other Vassal states' peoples, who put their time and resources forward to building towns and cities in the province of Takuma. The Tombstone, once called home by the Ghosts, was reborn as Fort Tombstone, the largest military installation in the capital. Temple Base remained to provide security and stability for the region near Arnus Hill, which was unstable due to conflict with the Traditionalists, militarized radicals who believed that the Empire needed to restored to its original state in order to retain its purity.

"How did it go?" Itami asked Xavier as he stepped out of a truck.

"The pro-war rebels have been crushed and the survivors have been taken into custody of the Empire." Xavier explained as he stretched.

"That's a good thing, now we can focus on bringing these traditionalists under control." Itami said.

"Did the instructors take off?" Xavier asked.

"No, they're going to head out in a couple of hours." Itami explained.

"That's good." Xavier said.

The duo split up and Xavier went to the barracks in order to get some shut-eye for a couple of hours before he had to go to work. When the morning came to, Xavier hopped into a truck to join the garrison at Temple Base. They watched as helicopters carrying recreated flintlock armaments for the Imperial Military's new division and instructors to teach the Imperial soldiers how to use them. As the choppers flew overhead, they inspired Yao to carry on with the mission that she had been given and she followed the trucks heading to Temple Base.

 **Temple Base**

 **8:30 am**

The trucks arrived at the base, each carrying 6 soldiers in the back of each vehicle, offloading at the base entrance. As they went to work, Xavier noticed Dante and Anna rushing up to him...

"Hey Xavier!" Dante said.

"Hey, Pikachu." Xavier responded.

"How was your time on a battlefield?" Anna asked.

"It was alright, we crushed the Pro-war rebels and the survivors have been taken into custody of the Empire." Xavier explained.

"So the pro-war faction is finished." Dante said.

"Yeah, so I understand that we have trouble with the Traditionalists?" Xavier asked.

"They keep trying to cause roadblocks in order to cut the Empire off of supplies." Dante explained.

"Furthermore, they have been attacking our factories in order to try and stop the flow of machinery that we have been providing the Empire." Anna explained.

"How's that working out?" Xavier asked.

"Lately, not so well." Anna said.

"So many of the Traditionalist factions have withdrawn from fighting us to living in organized communes." Dante said.

"At least they won't be giving us trouble, how's your dad by the way?" Xavier explained.

"He's been leading his own investigation into something that has him puzzled. He's gonna talk to me about it when I see him." Dante explained.

"Well, I wish him luck." Xavier said.

"Oh, did you hear the news?" Anna asked.

"No, what are you talking about?" Xavier asked.

"Your friend, Juliana, just got promoted to field commander of the Night Witches." Anna said.

"That's good for her, she deserves it." Xavier said.

After their conversation, the trio went their separate ways. Anna went to help out in the command building, Xavier went to the armory for his assignment, and Dante went to speak with his father...

"Hey Dad." Dante said.

"How are you doing, son?" Daniel asked.

"I understand that you have been investigating something that has you puzzled." Dante said.

"Yes, have a seat." Daniel said, instructing his son to sit.

Dante sat down in the seat across from his father, who was sipping on a cup of coffee...

"The investigation that I have been carrying out is strictly off record, due to its nature." Daniel started.

"You're carrying out a covert investigation?" Dante asked in a confused tone.

"I called you here to ask for your help." Daniel said.

"What do you need?" Dante asked.

"First, you need to now what the investigation is about before you can help. I learned something from the head butler when I had visited the estate that I now own that had me surprised. Do you remember my friend, Miss Danica Shepard?" Daniel explained.

"Yeah, she disappeared before COLOSSUS Day." Dante said.

"I found her name on a slave ledger that Zolzal kept to keep track of his slaves. I had found out that she was killed by Zolzal." Daniel explained.

"He killed her? Why?" Dante asked in a shocked tone.

"Because she had turned out to have gotten pregnant by him." Daniel explained.

"That guy is messed up, because why would he kill her because she was pregnant with his kid?" Dante asked.

"He believed that his slaves were unfit to bear his children. I found out that he killed Danica after she had the kid, but he couldn't find the kid." Daniel explained.

"So you're trying to track down the kid?" Dante asked.

"He has an illegitimate child out there that is the niece to his other two siblings." Daniel said.

"So you're doing this for them?" Dante said.

"They deserve to know that they have a niece who is the heir of their exiled brother." Daniel said.

"That's good." Dante said.

Daniel explained the rest of the details of the investigation to his son, who expressed his willingness to support the investigation into the identity of the illegitimate child of Zolzal. After Dante left to go to work, Daniel called in an elderly woman who was picked up by his soldiers, this woman was wearing a faded dress and a white cloak over it.

"You must be Moira." Daniel asked.

"I am." The woman said.

"My name is Daniel Perez, I am The Commander of the Ghosts." Daniel explained.

"I have heard tales of your soldiers' exploits. You have fine soldiers under your command." Moira said.

"Thank you for the compliment." Daniel said.

"Is there a certain reason that you summoned me here?" Moira asked.

"I understand that you once knew Danica Shepard." Daniel started.

"( _Sigh._ ) Danica was a good woman, she wouldn't be broken easily by Zolzal, no matter what he did." Moira explained.

"I understand that she became pregnant with his child one day." Daniel said.

"Yes, she had already given birth to a baby girl before he had discovered her existence." Moira said.

"She had a daughter?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, she asked me to look after and raise the child as she knew that he would kill the child for what she was." Moira explained.

"The spawn of someone of noble birth and a slave." Daniel said.

"After she died, I had raised the child until she came of age, in which she became my successor." Moira explained.

"What is your last name?" Daniel asked curiously.

"My full name is Moira Stonebanks." Moira said.

"Did you name the child?" Daniel asked.

"I named the child Meredith, as I knew that her true name would be Meredith El Caesar." Moira explained.

"Meredith? The head maid of the estate that I now own?" Daniel asked.

"Your head maid is the illegitimate child of Zolzal." Moira said as a soldier approached Daniel.

"Excuse me, Commander." The soldier said.

"What is it?" Daniel asked.

"There is a dark elf woman who is requesting our assistance. Plus, that woman Tyuule requests your time." The soldier explained.

"Have Xavier look at this elven woman's requests, have Tyuule wait in my office." Daniel said.

"Yes, sir." The soldier said before leaving.

Daniel had an officer give Moira a ride back to her home, while he proceeded to his office to meet with Tyuule. When he had arrived, he saw Tyuule standing by the window patiently for him.

"Tyuule, please have a seat." Daniel said, directing her to a chair.

"Thank you for meeting with me." Tyuule said.

"I am surprised that you decided to visit me, considering the fact that I turned you and the others free." Daniel said.

"Well, I have some unfinished business that I wanted to discuss with you." Tyuule said.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Daniel asked.

"I believe that you should know about the fact that I have a history with Zolzal." Tyuule said.

"Really?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, I was once the leader of a proud tribe of Warrior Bunnies. We were almost a strong nation, until the Empire came into our territory during their aggressive expansion. Our territory was invaded by a military force commanded by the former Crown Prince, in which we had fought them to a brutal stalemate. When I knew that we were going to lose, I tried to prevent my tribe's fall by offering myself as a slave in order to prevent their fall. But Zolzal lied to me, as his forces decimated my tribe and enslaved the inhabitants, then he also turned my own people against me by saying that I had sold them out to save myself." Tyuule said.

"So he purposely destroyed your life." Daniel said.

"I harbored a burning hate for Zolzal and the Empire for what they did to me and my people, so I worked with my agent in the shadows, Bouro, to push Zolzal into leading the Empire into a suicidal war with your people. But after your soldier defeated him in the Senate, I realized that the destruction of his entire life would be more satisfying than what I had in mind." Tyuule explained.

"So you came here to confess to manipulating the Former Crown Prince into committing hostile actions against us." Daniel said.

"Yes, and I am truly sorry for doing so." Tyuule said.

"Well, if you were on our world, you would be arrested for conspiracy to commit war and be tried at the Hague for crimes." Daniel started. "But these are not normal circumstances, so I understand that he did you wrong but you had no right to drag my people after we had been through." He said.

"I know." Tyuule said, sounding ashamed.

"So l am willing to be civilized with you, it has been 5 months since we have relocated to this side of the Gate and we are still new to the region. I have seen the potential of the Warrior Bunnies to be skilled warriors and masters of infiltration. The UECG Parliament is willing to pass a bill that would allow demi-humans to become members of our military, but the military is going to be performing an experiment. It will involve select individuals from each demi-human race out there to be intergrated into the military as a special operations group that will answer directly to the central leadership of the military." Daniel explained.

"What are you asking me?" Tyuule asked.

"I want you to be the representative for the Warrior Bunnies on the group, you can think it over and let me know if you have a decision." Daniel said.

Tyuule was taken aback by what Daniel had just offered her, to be the representative for her people on a special operations group consisting of only demi-humans that the Ghosts were assembling for a military experiment. Daniel waited for her response patiently, until she raised her head and faced him...

"I will do it, but one condition..." Tyuule said.

"What is it?" Daniel asked.

"I will join your experiment, if you help me kill the Former Crown Prince." Tyuule said with a determined tone.

Daniel was surprised by the condition that Tyuule had for joining the special operations group that was going to be used in a military experiment. For Tyuule to join the group, they had to locate and kill the Former Crown Prince Zolzal. While Daniel and Tyuule talked, Xavier met with the visiting dark elf woman...

 **Temple Base Military Police Building**

 **9:01 pm**

In one of the questioning rooms of the Military Police Building, Xavier met with Yao with Lelei as an interpreter for him due to the fact that Yao wasn't speaking fluent english. Xavier sat on the opposite side of Yao, with Lelei sitting in the right side of the table. The stone of Adamantium that Yao would offer the Ghosts to gain their support for fighting the Fire Dragon sat right in the center of the table.

"Is there a reason why you came here hauling a metal stone the size of a soccer ball?" Xavier asked.

"He's wondering why you came here." Lelei said in translation for Yao.

"My home has been under siege, by a wounded Fire Dragon." Yao explained.

"Oh boy." Lelei said.

"What did she say?" Xavier asked.

"Her home settlement has been under siege lately, by a wounded Fire Dragon." Lelei explained.

"That overgrown lizard is back?" Xavier said.

"Yes, it has been terrorizing my people at our home in Schwartz Woods." Yao said.

"Schwartz Woods? That's in the southern half of Elbe." Lelei said.

"So the dragon flew from the forests south of Italica, then hit the forests in the southern half of Elbe." Xavier said.

"Must be a migratory pattern." Lelei explained.

"Is there anything we need to know about the region that Schwartz Woods is located in?" Xavier asked.

"It sits on the edge of a large mountainous area, which has a few volcanoes mixed in." Lelei explained.

"Could the volcanoes be a suitable place for the dragon to nest?" Lelei said.

"All lizards are cold-blooded, so that understandable that it would make a nest inside of a dormant volcano. It will want to be close to a heat source." Xavier responded.

"So can you help me?" Yao asked.

"I will talk about this to my superiors." Xavier said.

Yao felt a wave of relief rush over her as she would be getting the assistance of the Ghosts to combat the dangerous fire dragon that was threatening her people. Lelei took Yao over to the housing area so that she could have a place to rest her head for the evening while Xavier went to meet with Daniel...

 **Office of Commander Daniel Perez**

 **9:10 pm**

"That fire dragon's back?" Dante asked in a shocked tone.

"Yep, it has now been attacking a tribe of dark elves in Schwartz Woods, in the southern half of Elbe." Xavier explained.

"That overgrown lizard has been terrorizing more than just that region, we had sightings of the beast in different parts of the province." Daniel said.

"Our forces had minor encounters with the dragon, but no serious battles." Hazama explained.

"If that thing is still out there, no one is going to be safe." Xavier explained.

"I can't believe that it didn't learn it's lesson after fighting us in the Badlands." Dante said.

"There is another bit of information about this, there's a high possibility that the dragon nests in an inactive volcano in the mountains near Schwartz Woods." Xavier explained.

"If that is true, then we can hit it were it hurts." Daniel said.

"I was planning on sending First Lieutenant Itami on a mineral scouting assignment in the region." Hazama explained.

"Well, you can have him help Xavier in killing this thing." Daniel said.

"Wait, you're giving him the job of killing the dragon?" Dante said.

"I don't want to see my oldest son get hurt, besides, I have another assignment for you to do." Daniel explained.

"Thank you, sir, I'll head out in the morning." Xavier said as Rory entered the room and whispered something in his ear.

Xavier took off out of the room with Rory, leaving the three of them alone in Daniel's office. Hazama left the room a couple of minutes after Xavier, in which Daniel decided to let his son in on what the assignment was...

"What's the job?" Dante asked.

"Simple courier job, I want you to arrange a meeting with the Princess." Daniel said.

"Pinya? Why do you want to meet with her?" Dante asked.

"Tell her, she has a niece that she never knew about." Daniel explained.

"Oh." Dante said with a tone of Realization.

 **The Next Morning**

 **Schwartz Woods, Mountain region**

Xavier took off the next morning and was accompanied by Itami, Yao, Lelei, Rory, and Tuka on the assignment to eliminate the dragon that had been plaguing the region. Xavier was curious about the fact that Tuka had been put to sleep...

"I am surprised that she fell asleep." Xavier said, looking at Tuka.

"You don't know?" Itami asked.

"Know what?" Xavier asked.

"It's her PTSD, its been getting worse." Lelei explained.

"She was wandering the streets again, then she began to perceive Itami as her actual father." Rory said.

"What?" Xavier said.

"I have spoken to the doctor on the base, and he believes that if she was to help in killing the dragon and avenging her father, she would revert to normal." Itami said.

"Let's hope that he's right." Xavier said.

"How much further is it?" Itami asked Yao.

"It's just past that ridge, but it can be difficult to cross when it rains." Yao explained.

"Ok." Itami said.

The truck and trailer past the ridge line, stopping at a cliff edge that overlooked an entire valley of ravines and trenches that looked like they went down for miles. The group stepped out of the vehicle and stretched as they had been driving for miles.

"I'll go talk to my people, just so they understand that you are not their enemy." Yao said before walking away from the group.

"You do that." Xavier said.

But after Yao walked away, three dark elf warriors appeared behind the group with their weapons at the group. The group immediately turned around to see the combat ready elves, raising their hands to show that they were not going to attack...

"What do we do?" Itami asked.

"I have an idea." Xavier said, carefully reaching his mask.

The elves tensed up as Xavier reached for his mask, in which he carefully pulled it down over his face. The warriors eased off the group as they were speechless at the sight of the skull image on the mask. But as they eased up, a loud roar was heard as the dragon surged over the ridgeline right at the group and elven warriors.

"Round two, you big bitch." Xavier said under his breath.

Xavier and Itami fired on the dragon, while the elven warriors scattered as the dragon breathed fire at the group. Tuka had awoken from her sleep, but froze at the sight of the massive, wounded Fire Dragon as the memories of seeing it raze her home to the ground and the death of her father. Lelei grabbed her and dragged her to cover, followed by Itami carrying a rocket launcher...

"Tuka, come here." Itami said.

"Yes, father." Tuka responded as Itami positioned her in front of him and made her hold the trigger of the launcher.

"Listen to me, Tuka, its me Itami, I am not your father." Itami said.

"No, that's not true." Tuka said in a denying tone.

"That thing killed your father, he died saving you!" Itami exclaimed.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Tuka exclaimed.

"It is the truth! Don't let it get away!" Itami shouted as Tuka's breathing got heavier.

"NO!" Tuka shouted as she squeezed the trigger on the launcher.

The rocket sped away from the duo, impacting on a rock face that was right next to the dragon, exploding and sending debris directly at the dragon, driving it away. Itami looked at Tuka, but guilt immediately overcame him as she was breathing heavily with a traumatized look on her face.

" _What have I done?_ " Itami thought.

 **This chapter concludes with Xavier and his group facing off against the dragon again, but Tuka faces the difficult task of overcoming her PTSD. Daniel has learned that the illegitimate child of Zolzal is a daughter and the head maid of his estate. Things are getting tense as the group is facing off against a beast that has a score to settle with the Ghosts. The next chapter picks up with the group getting ready to go to the nest of the dragon with some reinforcements, Daniel and Dante arrange a meeting with the Princess to introduce her to some family that she had never known existed. After the fight against the dragon is over, the identity of the source of the dragon's awakening is going to be revealed, and the location of the Former Crown Prince is revealed...**


	17. Chapter 17: New EnemyFamily

**Chapter 17: New Family, New Enemy**

 **Schwartz Woods Mountain Region**

 **49 minutes past noon.**

The group was recovering from the dragon attack, helping the injured dark elf warriors recover from the fire. Lelei and Rory were putting the traumatized Tuka to sleep, in which Xavier got up after helping an injured female dark elf warrior to go talk to Itami, who were in the middle of putting Tuka to sleep with magic...

"How are you doing?" Xavier asked.

"I'm fine, but I think Tuka isn't." Itami said.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked, joining the conversation.

"In order to get her to fire the launcher, I had to provoke her to the fact that the dragon had killed her father." Itami said.

"You had no other choice. Stop beating yourself up about this." Xavier said.

"But there is no telling how much worse I have made her PTSD." Itami explained.

"Xavier is right, you cannot punish yourself for doing what you needed to do." Rory said.

"Let's just kill this thing and be done with it." Itami said before walking off.

"Itami!" Xavier said.

"I'll talk to him, you and Lelei look after Tuka." Rory said as Yao and the leader of the dark elf warriors appeared.

"What happened?" Thornwald, the chief dark elf warrior, asked.

"The dragon attacked us, right after we cornered these individuals." Nokko, one of the elven warriors, said.

"These individuals are the ones who are going to help us defeat the dragon." Thornwald explained.

"The elders are waiting for us, Lieutenant Moore." Yao said.

"Let's go." Xavier said.

While Xavier left with the warriors, Rory went to talk to Itami, who was sitting beside a rock...

"Itami?" Rory asked.

"I know what you are going to say." Itami said.

"You can't get all worked up about this. We need to stop the dragon before it gets out of control." Rory said.

"But how much am I willing to do to save Tuka?" Itami said before Rory slapped him.

"You need to cut the shit! You are a soldier! Soldiers know that in order to accomplish their goals, sacrifices have to be made. If we have to save Tuka by making her PTSD worse, So be it! Stop punishing yourself and man up!" Rory said.

Rory stopped beating himself up over making Tuka remember that the dragon had killed her father, and left with Tuka attached to a board and sound asleep, followed by Rory and Lelei. While they met with the elders of the dark elf tribe, Daniel and Dante went to meet with the Princess and introduce her to some family that she had never known existed...

 **Perez Estate**

 **1:00 pm**

Daniel went to the estate to approach Meredith Stonebanks, whose real name is Meredith El Caesar, about introducing her to Pinya due to the fact that the Princess was her aunt. He found her at a balcony overlooking the gardens, watching the gardeners tending to them...

"Meredith." Daniel said.

"Master, I am surprised that you have returned." Meredith said.

"You can call me Daniel, you know." Daniel said.

"Is there a reason why you came here?" Meredith asked.

"I learned something interesting about you." Daniel said, raising Meredith's concerns.

"What did you learn?" Meredith asked.

"You can drop the innocent act, I know that you are Zolzal's daughter." Daniel said.

Meredith tensed up after hearing the words that came out of Daniel's mouth, words that meant that she was no longer the classic innocent maid of the estate. She set down a flower that she was holding into the vase on the table in front of her, then faced Daniel...

"So she told you." Meredith said.

"Yes." Daniel said.

"That's the one thing that I had hoped to avoid." Meredith said with a sigh.

"Why are you avoiding the fact that you're a member of the Royal family?" Daniel asked.

"Because of the fact that my father is an arrogant, mass murderer, rapist, and tried to murder his own father while even trying to murder me when I was born." Meredith said.

"So you decided to be his head maid?" Daniel said as she reached into a little purse that always carried with her.

"I had originally intended to kill him." Meredith said, dropping an engraved dagger on the table.

"I see." Daniel said.

"I have harbored a burning hate for Zolzal after he murdered my mother." Meredith said.

"I knew your mom well." Daniel said.

"You knew my mother?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, she and I were members of the U.S Air force, back before COLOSSUS Day happened. Zolzal had kidnapped her before COLOSSUS Day had occurred, and enslaved her." Daniel said.

"She was a member of your world's military?" Meredith said.

"Yes, and the bravest woman I have ever known." Daniel said.

"So is there another reason why you came here?" Meredith inquired.

"I came here to introduce you to your other family." Daniel said.

"You mean Pinya and the other Prince?" Meredith said.

"Yes, them. Though it is just Pinya with me right now." Daniel said.

"Why should I meet her?" Meredith said with distaste.

"Because even though your father was a douchebag, that doesn't mean the rest of his family won't have the same reaction." Daniel said.

Meredith pondered what he had just told her, in which she had come to a decision on whether or not she would meet with the Princess. She then looked up at Daniel and began to speak...

"Alright. Take me to her." Meredith said.

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked.

"I am." Meredith said.

"Yes, ma'am." Daniel responded.

The duo proceeded to the main entry hall of the estate, where Dante was waiting alongside Pinya, who was curious about why the two of them had brought her to the estate.

"Your highness." Daniel said.

"Commander Perez, I was surprised when your son invited me here." Pinya explained.

"I am sure that you have many questions." Daniel said.

"Yes, is there something important?" Pinya asked.

"Recently, I learned something interesting about your exiled brother." Daniel explained as Meredith moved next to him.

"What?" Pinya asked.

"I learned that your brother has an illegitimate child that he tried to kill after it was conceived by one of his slaves." Daniel explained.

"He has an heir?" Pinya asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, the guy has a daughter that he tried to kill after he learned that the sex slave was pregnant with her." Dante said.

"Where is the daughter now?" Pinya asked.

"The daughter is standing right here." Meredith said.

Pinya was rendered speechless at the fact that the illegitimate child of Zolzal was standing before her. Meredith calmly removed the frilled cap on her head, and the trio watched as her short cut, brown hair transformed into blonde, the same shade of her father's.

"Your hair is the same color as Zolzal's." Pinya said.

"Because I am his child." Meredith said.

"But your personality is not like his." Pinya said.

"I take after my mother instead of him." Meredith said.

"What was your mother like?" Pinya asked.

"I think Commander Perez is the one to answer that, since my mother was in fact a good friend of his that Zolzal enslaved." Meredith said.

"Really?" Pinya asked.

"We'll talk about that later." Daniel said.

"Anyway, what do intend to do with the daughter of your exiled brother?" Dante asked.

Pinya stood there for a couple of moments, playing out possible situations that involve what to do with Meredith since she was the daughter of Zolzal. Daniel and Dante stood patiently waiting for her response, until she unanimously came to a decision...

"Though Zolzal has been disowned, you are not, so I think it is about time that you are officially recognized as a member of the Royal family." Pinya said.

"You're saying that you'll accept me?" Meredith asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, I shall dicuss this with my father." Pinya said as she hugged Meredith.

Daniel noticed that Meredith was starting to cry as she hugged Pinya back. Pinya immediately noticed Meredith's crying as well...

"Why are you crying?" Pinya asked.

"Its because you had just made her the happiest girl in the Empire." Daniel said.

Daniel was right, Meredith was overjoyed by the fact that her fears of getting shunned by the members of the Royal family for what she was were not true as she was openly accepted by the Princess. While Daniel and Dante were present at a happy moment, Xavier was on the front lines against a beast...

 **Schwartz Mountain Caverns**

 **1:34 pm**

The group had met with the elders of the dark elf tribe, in order to discuss the matter pertaining to the fire dragon that was threatening their lives. Rory was polishing her halberd, lamenting at the minor damage that the blade of the halberd had received upon impacting on the hardened scales of the dragon.

"I'm honoured to be meeting with one of the warriors who battled the fire dragon." Kharo, the older elder, said.

"Thank you sir." Xavier said.

"That thing is tough, not even my halberd could penetrate the skin." Rory said.

"It has been terrorizing us for days, it has crippled our warrior's numbers and has killed over 50 of our people." Xero, the second elder, said.

"That many dead?" Itami asked.

"The death toll stood at 32 from the attack that drove us to these caves." Thornwald explained.

"Do you have any extra information about the dragon?" Xavier said.

"The Dragon nests in a volcano just south of these caves, a place that we originally used to visit for some ingredients." Kharo explained.

"Thank you, we'll end this thing's reign of terror so you can all get some sleep at night." Xavier said as Yao came up with some warriors.

"Lieutenant Moore, Nokko and these warriors have offered to help." Yao said.

"That's good, we got some heavy weapons that can do some damage." Xavier said.

Thornwald gave Nokko and the other warriors permission to aid Xavier's group in their mission to eliminate the dragon. Resting up for the night, the group educated the warriors in how to use the rocket launchers when Rory and Lelei pulled Xavier off to the side...

"What's the matter?" Xavier asked.

"Rory has been having a strange feeling as we have approached the mountain." Lelei explained.

"What kind of feeling?" Xavier asked.

"Like there is another apostle here." Rory said.

"You mean that there is another one of those 12 apostles here?" Xavier said.

"They're masking their mark from me, so I can't identify the deity that they serve." Rory said.

"You thinking they woke up the dragon?" Xavier asked.

"It's a possibility, so we should keep our guard up." Lelei said.

Returning to the exercises, Xavier walked over to Nokko, who looked confused about the way to use a rocket launcher...

"Something bothering you?" Xavier asked.

"Why do we have to check behind us before we can fire?" Nokko asked.

"Let me show you, give it here." Xavier said, asking for the rocket launcher.

"Umm, sure." Nokko said, handing him the launcher.

"Do you see this large hole on the back?" Xavier asked.

"Yes." Nokko responded.

"This hole is important, because when the rocket launches, the force created by the acceleration of the launch goes out this hole and it can injure anyone behind you." Xavier explained.

"Oh." Nokko said.

"Now, you understand the importance of the shoulder check." Xavier said.

After the instructional lesson, the group proceeded to the volcano that the dragon had called home. They maneuvered their way through treacherous terrain, such as dangerous trails and rocky paths, all the way to the cave entrance of the dragon's nest.

"Is this the place?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, we came across the dragon when we had come to the cave to gather sulfur for volcanic fruit." Yao explained.

"We'll head inside after we get something to eat." Itami said.

"That's a good idea, we'll need the energy to keep going after that little trek we had." Xavier said.

The group chowed down on some MRES for a couple of minutes, with members of the group taking turns keeping watch for the dragon. Just as the group got ready to head down, Rory's anxiety began to act up, catching Xavier's attention...

"What's the matter, Rory?" Xavier asked.

"Hardy controls everything underground." Rory said in a scared tone.

"Oh, you mean this world's equivalent of the devil." Xavier said with Rory nodding.

"She keeps trying to snatch me to make me her bride, she just doesn't shut up about it." Rory said.

"Rory." Xavier said.

"Yes?" Rory asked.

"The last time we talked, you said that Hardy is a man." Xavier said.

"Oh, I did?" Rory said.

"Yeah, you did." Xavier said.

"Anyway, look, I am not going down there." Rory said.

"Alright, you can keep watch for the dragon. Take this." Xavier said, handing Rory a flare gun.

"What is this?" Rory asked.

"It is a Flare gun, let me show you how to use it." Xavier said.

After a quick lesson, Rory took a position on a small ledge while the rest of the group made their way down to the dragon's nest. While the group made their journey, a couple of UECG fighters were getting a better understanding of the enemy that was threatening them...

 **3 miles away from Xavier's group.**

Three members of the Valkyrie Squadron, a group of all-female pilots that had training in the use of attack planes, accompanied a harrier fighter jet as it approached the dragon as it flew around.

"Man, that's one big ass lizard." Chelsea, one of the pilots, said.

" _Let's keep focused, we are needed to gather information on the dragon._ " Ryuko, the pilot of the harrier, said over the radio.

" _Alright, keep your flightsuit on, let's test its flight skills._ " Alleecia said over the radio.

" _Rog, Valkyrie 13, lets test its flight speed._ " Ryuko said.

" _Got it, let's give it a flight for its money._ " Amanda said.

The fighter jets fired at it, driving it past a couple of mountains before it breathed fire at them. The jets raised their altitude, watching as the dragon entered a sort of hovering state.

" _Did your instruments register its speed?_ " Ryuko asked.

" _My instruments registered its flight speed at 80 to 100 knots._ " Alleecia said.

" _Looks like it can hover at approximately 20 feet._ " Amanda said.

"Next on the list is to test its armor strength." Chelsea said.

" _Switch to your machine guns, swift strikes only, I don't want you kids getting burned._ " Ryuko explained.

" _Got it chief._ " Alleecia said.

The jets took turns at firing on the dragon, with the shots impacting on the hardened scales of the dragon. They returned to a high altitude after they dodged the dragon's attacks...

" _Man, that thing's got a hardened hide._ " Alleecia said.

" _The instruments that the think tank hooked up are comparing the dragon scales to tungsten._ " Amanda said.

"That's all of the information that we need to collect, let's get back to Temple Base." Chelsea said.

 _"Not yet, I still have one thing that I want to test._ " Ryuko said.

"Colonel, we need to get back to Temple Base, we have all the information that we need." Chelsea said.

The Colonel ignored the complaints of his subordinates, and proceeded to fly directly at the beast. The dragon exhaled a large amount of fire at the jet, in which it emerged from the flames...

"You done with the suicide mission?" Chelsea asked.

" _Yeah, I have learned what I needed to know._ " Ryuko said.

As the jets returned to Temple Base, Ryuko got an earful from the head engineer about his reckless behavior and how it damaged his jet while Chelsea delivered the research report to Commander Ashton...

"So the dragon has all of these qualities." Ashton said.

"Yes sir, I'm surprised that Xavier and Rayne's squads went toe to toe with the thing and managed to wound it." Chelsea said.

"Their report on their first encounter with the dragon said that they dazzed it before injuring it with a rocket launcher." Ashton said.

"Where's Xavier now?" Chelsea asked.

"He and Itami left to go kill the dragon after it had been attacking a tribe of dark elves in the southern half of Elbe." Ashton said.

"He's gonna need some more backup than just Itami to kill that thing." Chelsea said.

"I know, that is why I want you to part of a task force that is going to support them." Ashton said.

While Chelsea was part of the assembly of a task force that was going to support the group that was combating the dragon, Xavier's group was about to experience their the biggest fight that they have ever faced...

 **Fire Dragon Nest**

 **2:34 pm**

The group walked through the caves, in which they had arrived at the nest of the dragon, which was located on a large landing further down the volcano. It was littered with the remains of warriors who had perished in battle with the dragon, and swords of all types that were stuck in the ground.

"Is this the place?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, it is." Nokko said.

"Alright, Itami, you and some of the warriors set the trap, the rest will keep watch with me." Xavier said.

"Why do I have to do it?" Itami asked.

"Because you have more experience with stuff like that." Xavier said.

"True." Itami responded.

The elves went to work with Itami and Xavier, building a c4 trap using recovered swords and armor shards, while Xavier had noticed a series of broken shells that looked like egg pieces...

"Are these egg shells?" Xavier asked as Lelei walked up.

"From the looks of it, yes." Lelei said, picking up a piece.

"So that means that there is more than one." Xavier said.

"Fire Dragon hatchlings are known to wander from their parents, seeking their own hunting grounds." Lelei explained.

"But these look like the hatching process was provoked." Xavier said.

While Lelei pondered what Xavier said, he looked up at the top of the volcano to see if Rory had launched the flare with his thermal imaging goggles, there was no sign of the flare, until it appeared flying over the right side of the crater, followed by the roar of the dragon...

"IT'S BACK!" Xavier shouted.

"Oh shit!" Itami exclaimed.

Everyone panicked, in which the dragon's attacks resulted in the deaths of several of the dark elf warriors, in which Tuka awoken to see the chaos, and the memories of her father's death flooded her mind...

"It can't be." Tuka said.

"You need to face the truth, that dragon killed your father, and everyone you have ever known." Lelei said as she raised her hand.

"I know, I have run from the fact that my father died trying to save me and I failed to save him." Tuka said in a scared tone.

"You didn't fail him and you did not fail yourself." Lelei said as she raised the other swords that weren't used in the trap with magic. "DIE YOU REPTILIAN PIECE OF SHIT!" She exclaimed.

Lelei hurled the hundreds of swords that were in the ground directly at the dragon, in which the blades shattered upon impacting on the hardened scales of the dragon until one was lucky enough to pierce the dragon...

"It got through." Lelei said.

"Move it!" Xavier shouted to Itami.

"Once we get to the cave, set the trap off." Itami said.

"That's the plan." Xavier said.

As they ran to the cave entrance, they grabbed Yao as she was breathing heavily after seeing Nokko die in front of her. The trio ran to the cave entrance, where Xavier caught a weakened Lelei, in which a rock knocked by the swing of the dragon's tail damaged the fuse line...

"Son of a!" Itami exclaimed.

Tuka watched as Itami struggled to repair the damage to the line, Xavier fired on the dragon while Yao protected Lelei. All sorts of things ran through her mind, in which she had come to a decision...

"You...killed my father, and now you're trying to kill my friends." Tuka said as the dragon let out a loud roar.

"Hurry up, Itami!" Xavier shouted as he reloaded his rifle.

"No, I may failed my father, but I will not fail my friends! You will not kill them!" Tuka shouted as she hurled lightning magic in to the sky.

Tuka had conjured a massive thunderstorm that rained lightning bolts down the dragon, striking the fuse line and igniting the c4 trap. An enormous explosion blew the dragon to pieces, as the group raced out of the nest in a hurry. They arrived outside the caves, and quickly caught their breath...

"Man, now that is the end of that chapter." Xavier said.

"I (pant) disagree." Rory said.

The group looked to see an injured Rory resting on a rock face in which her clothes were torn, she had bleeding wounds, and was heavily exhausted. They were completely surprised by the condition that she was in...

"Rory, what the hell happened to you?" Xavier asked.

"She shared the Japanese man's wounds." A female voice said through a smoke cloud.

The two soldiers raised their weapons at the smoke, in which a dragon girl wielding a large scythe emerged from the smoke with a great, big smile on her face. She inched closer towards Rory, in which Xavier intervened...

"Stop right there." Xavier said.

"You have no right to command me, mortal." The girl said.

"Just who the hell are you?" Itami said.

"I am Giselle, apostle to the dark God Hardy." The girl said.

"You work for Hardy?" Xavier asked.

"Of course, my assignment is to bring her mistress Rory for her wedding." Giselle explained.

"I'm not going to marry Hardy!" Rory exclaimed.

"That is not up for debate, and my friends are going to kill yours since they killed their mother." Giselle said as two dragons appeared.

"Two more dragons?" Yao asked in a shocked tone.

"Those eggs in the nest!" Itami exclaimed.

" _If those two are from the eggs in the nest, that means their armor isn't fully developed._ " Xavier thought.

"Now, step aside."Giselle demanded, lowering her scythe to Xavier's neck.

"Miss, you may want to reconsider that stance." Xavier said.

Giselle raised her scythe to try and kill Xavier, but Xavier dodged her swing, ducking down so Rory could strike her. Rory swung her halberd directly at Giselle's face, sending the dragon girl down the hill with tremendous force, in which Xavier grabbed Rory and took off with the group right down the trail. The two dragons landed in front of Giselle, who was coated in dirt...

"Bring Rory to me alive, kill the others." Giselle said angrily.

The two dragons took off in pursuit of the group, but they were unknowingly flying into a trap as Xavier noticed a jet flying by in the distance before they started running. The group ran into cover as Brian, one of the Silent Knights, spotted the group with the dragons on their tail...

"Combat units, this is Badger 3-2, VIPS are racing down the side of the volcano with two big bogies on their rear." Brian said into his radio.

" _Copy that Badger, Valkyrie units moving in._ " Chelsea said.

Two F-18 fighter jets fired at the two dragons, forcing them to land on the side of the volcano. Brian marked the two targets with a targeting laser that he had attached to his rifle and an artillery cannon group opened fire on the dragons. Giselle watched in horror as the two dragons were decimated by the heavy firepower of the Ghosts, but she then heard Rory's voice...

"Oh Giselle, where are you?" Rory said as a couple of helicopters came up behind her.

"Oh crap!" Giselle said, running away.

Rory passed out next to Lelei, as she was exhausted along with Yao and Xavier. Tuka and Itami walked up the exhausted group, with Itami noticed that Tuka appeared to have had a great shadow lifted from her shoulders...

"Hey, you alright?" Itami asked.

"I've never been better...dad." Tuka said with a smile.

"I told you, I'm not your father." Itami responded.

"I know, it just feels good to call you dad." Tuka said with a smirk.

"That's never gonna get old." Itami said to himself as the soldiers came up the hill towards the group.

 **This chapter concludes with the end of the fire dragon and it's children, and the defeat of Giselle, the servant of Hardy who tried to kidnap Rory in order for the god that she served to marry her. This is also the end of Tuka's PTSD, as she overcame the death of her father by being the trigger of the dragon's death, and started to call Itami dad as she saw him as a surrogate father. Meredith feared that she wouldn't be accepted by the Royal family because of who her mother was, but was instead accepted by the Princess, who intends to introduce her to the rest of the family. The next chapter picks up with Xavier receiving a special assignment to the city of Rondel, Meredith is introduced to the Emperor and Diabo, while the location of the Former Crown Prince is finally identified just as Tyuule starts in the task force.**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	18. Chapter 18: Coming Home

**Chapter 18: Coming Home**

 **Imperial Palace Gates**

 **Imperial Capital of Saedra**

 **3:30 pm**

After the meeting at the Perez Estate, Pinya took her recently discovered niece Meredith to the palace in order to introduce her to Diabo and the Emperor so that they can be aware of her existence. Meredith was amazed at the elegance and style of the palace, even speechless at the sheer size of the building, which had Pinya amused by the way she reacted to bring present at the palace.

"I'm surprised that you are acting this way." Pinya said.

"My father never really let me out much." Meredith explained.

"You've never been to the palace?" Pinya asked.

"Just like your exiled brother never found the daughter that he wanted to kill." Meredith said.

"True." Pinya responded.

The duo proceeded into the building, with Meredith looking around non-stop at the decor of the palace while they proceeded to the throne room. Pinya and Meredith entered the room, where her father and brother were discussing what was going to be done with the captive pro-war faction rebels that reside in Basoon Prison...

"Father, Brother." Pinya said.

"Pinya? What are you doing here?" Diabo asked.

"I learned something interesting about Zolzal from Commander Perez." Pinya said.

"Really? What did he learn?" Molt asked.

"Zolzal has an illegitimate child that he tried to kill after the slave that he impregnated delivered the child in secret." Pinya said.

"He has a child?" Diabo asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, he has a daughter." Pinya said.

"Where is this child now? Molt asked.

"Right here." Meredith said.

"Father, Brother, this is Meredith El Caesar, Zolzal's daughter." Pinya said.

"She has similarities to her father." Diabo said.

"Just not personality." Meredith said.

"That's a good thing." Diabo said.

"She is my grandchild?" Molt asked.

"Yes, she has a different personality than her father because the former head maid of his estate raised her." Pinya explained.

"My mother was Danica Shepard, a known associate of Commander Daniel Perez." Meredith said.

"She must have been taken before COLOSSUS Day happened to the people of the world beyond the gate." Diabo said.

"Address them properly Diabo, they are the people of the UECG." Molt said.

"True." Diabo said.

"She died protecting where I was from him." Meredith said.

"Father, are we sure that she is his daughter?" Diabo asked.

"You don't trust me?" Meredith asked.

"That's not ..." Diabo said.

"You know, for all your smarts Diabo, you are a real idiot." Meredith said in an angry tone.

"She is in fact his child. She knows how to verbally abuse you." Molt said.

"True." Pinya said.

"You are not like your exiled father, so that means that you are truly a member of the Royal family." Molt said.

"So you're accepting me?" Meredith asked.

"Of course, you are a member of the Royal family, and my grandchild." Molt said.

Meredith felt a wave of relief rush over her as she was openly accepted by the Royal family, and acknowleged as one of them. Molt arranged for a room in the palace to be made for Meredith, and Pinya commissioned the Royal tailor to meet with Meredith in order to design new clothes for her. While she began her new life in the Royal family, Xavier was about to receive a new assignment...

 **Temple Base, Commander Perez's office.**

 **5:30 pm**

Daniel was sitting behind his desk and looking over the combat report that had been delivered to his office, regarding the destruction of the dragon. Xavier was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the desk while Daniel looked at the report...

"So this Giselle was responsible for waking up the dragon." Daniel said.

"Yes, she woke it in order to try and seize Rory so her boss can marry her." Xavier said.

"Well, if she shows her face in UECG territory, she will be arrested for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and the deaths of hundreds of innocent people." Daniel said.

"She's a demigod like Rory, the god she works for could easily break her out." Xavier said.

"So we need to find a way to deal with her, anyway, I have your next assignment." Daniel said.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"Lelei is going to be making a trip to Rondel in order to obtain master status, so I want you to be her escort." Daniel said.

"Why does she need an escort?" Xavier asked.

"The former Crown Prince may not be able to be easily found, but that doesn't mean he still is operating off the grid." Daniel explained.

"You believe that he maybe operating from the shadows." Xavier said.

"That, and Lelei is one of the many HVIs that the UECG Government holds in high regard." Daniel said.

"I'm surprised that the Government holds her in high regard." Xavier said.

"Her contributions to the establishment of the Translator Corps and our people in the field have earned her a lot of attention." Daniel explained.

"Wow, she's quite popular with the higher-ups." Xavier said.

"Yes, you'll be leaving with Lance Corporal Willis this evening alongside Lelei." Xavier said.

"Yao and Rory might want to tag along." Xavier said.

"Why would they?" Daniel asked.

"Rory wants to tag along to go to a shrine to Hardy in which she can give Hardy the middle finger and tell her to leave her alone, and due to the death of the dragon, Yao's tribe had made me and Itami honorary chieftains, gave us a giant chunk of Adamantium and custody of Yao." Xavier explained.

"Really?" Daniel asked.

"Yep." Xavier responded.

"Ok, you're dismissed until you got to leave." Daniel said.

"Thank you, sir." Xavier said.

After Xavier left, an intelligence analyst came into the room in a panicked state as if he had just learned something that startled him...

"What's wrong, junior?" Daniel asked.

"Sir, we've got the location of the Former Crown Prince." The analyst said.

"Great, where is he?" Daniel asked.

"He's gone to a place that will make you upset." The analyst said.

"What are you talking about?" Daniel said.

"Sir...he's gone to Earth." The analyst said.

"What the hell is he doing there?!" Daniel demanded as he stood up.

"Our scouting teams tracked him and a large number of individuals to an abandoned corporation headquarters on the outskirts of Syracuse. But..." The analyst said.

"But what?" Daniel asked.

"Intelligence provided by the Think Tank's survey drones discovered that the headquarters is a front for a CIA black site." The analyst explained.

"Get me Lieutenant General Hazama." Daniel ordered.

While Daniel was making the preparations for an operation to intercept the Former Crown Prince, Zolzal, Xavier and Hannah took off to the city of Rondel alongside Cole, Lelei, Yao, and Rory...

 **Makeshift Campsite**

 **8:30 pm**

The group was sitting around a campfire, sharing some stories of either famous exploits of theirs, humorous moments that they were in, or just deciding their schedule for the trip to Rondel...

"So there I was, sitting in the center of the workshop, getting screamed at by Colton for apparently "stealing his wrench", when somebody points out that his wrench is on the flatbed of one of the trucks." Cole said.

"He should really use his eyes." Lelei said.

"Yeah." Cole said.

"So what's the plan for when we get to Rondel?" Hannah said.

"Lelei's got to meet with the masters committee." Xavier said.

"I'm going to visit a shrine of Hardy, so I can tell Hardy that I will never marry her." Rory said.

"I've got to check on some of the wind farms near Rondel." Cole said.

"I've decided to be of any assistance on this trip, so I am accompanying my master on this trip." Yao explained.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she calls you master." Hannah said to Xavier.

"It's just because that I had saved her tribe from the fire dragon." Xavier explained.

"So what? They gave you custody of her?" Cole asked.

"Pretty much." Xavier said.

"It is a joint custody with Lieutenant Itami." Yao pointed out.

"Oh, ok." Hannah said.

"Let's get some sleep, we've going to be in Rondel at 0900." Xavier said.

"Got it." The group said.

 **City of Rondel**

 **9:00 am**

The group had arrived in the city of Rondel, arriving at 9:00 am like Xavier had said. The city was gorgeous, in which the group saw hundreds of mages and demi-humans at work. They arrived at a local library, where they were greeted by an elderly woman who was dressed in a formal mage uniform.

"Greetings, I am Mimoza, head of the masters review committee." The woman said.

"I'm Lieutenant colonel Xavier Moore of the Ghosts, these are my associates Lance Corporal Willis and Field Engineer Cole Severance." Xavier explained.

"Greetings." Mimoza said.

"Nice to meet you." Hannah said.

"How's it going?" Cole said.

"It has been going well." Mimoza said.

"Well, I'm going to be off to go check out the farms." Cole said.

"Stay safe babe." Hannah said.

The group entered the building behind Mimoza, in which she had taken up a place behind a desk and to look over Lelei's application for master status...

"Well, this is a fine application, Lelei." Mimoza said before accidentally knocking over a large stack of books.

"Damn it, Master!" A voice exclaimed from among the bookshelves.

The group turned to see a girl in a yellow, blue, and white robe emerge from the shadows of the bookshelves and angrily approach Mimoza for that mistake...

"Oh, Arpeggio, I thought you were going to be working that printing press." Mimoza said in a surprised tone.

"I was dropping off a recently created copy when I found your office a mess, so I have been trying to clean it up for the past few hours." Arpeggio explained angrily.

"Well, let me help you out." Mimoza said.

"No! You will just get in the way! Wait, what is this?!" Arpeggio demanded as she swiped Lelei's application from the table.

"That is my master's application." Lelei said.

The group watched as Arpeggio tensed up at what her sister had just said to her, that her younger sister has been getting ready to advanced to the status of master when she has been trying to reach the position herself.

"Everyone, please get out of the room, I have to speak with my sister." Arpeggio said.

"Well, this chapter escalated quickly." Xavier said.

"Did you just do a fourth wall break?" Hannah asked.

"I had to squeeze one in." Xavier said.

While Xavier and the others were dealing with Lelei's pissed off older sister, Dante and Itami were about to go on a special assignment...

 **Temple Base Operations Briefing Room.**

 **9:10 am**

Daniel approached a room full of soldiers, including Dante and Itami, who were joined by Tuka and Anna so he could brief them on the most important mission that they were going to undergo...

"Good morning." Daniel started.

"What do you think he wants?" Tuka whispered.

"I don't know." Anna said.

"By now, you are all wondering why I have gathered you all here, so here is the facts. At 1800 yesterday, the Think Tank's survey drones had discovered that the Former Crown Prince has been spotted on Earth, accompanied by a force of approximately 90 individuals." Daniel said.

"What?!" Itami exclaimed.

"What the hell is he doing there?!" Another soldier shouted.

"The drones also confirmed that he was attempting to breach an abandoned corporation headquarters on the outskirts of Syracuse. But the company was a front for a CIA black site, in which we believe that he is trying to access the site." Daniel explained.

"Do we know what the site was used for?" Reese, one of the soldiers, asked.

"According to the director of the Intelligence Committee, the site housed Project Forward Guard, a secret project that's purpose was to identify any possible weaknesses in the societal and defense infrastructure of the United States, and fortify them by any means necessary." Daniel explained.

"If the Former Crown Prince were to get his hands on the technology that was left behind in the site, he would try to find a way to use it against us." Daniel added.

"So what are we to do?" Dante asked.

"Breach the site, capture the Former Crown Prince if possible, and destroy the site. We cannot allow the technology that was left behind to fall into the wrong hands." Daniel said.

"Agreed." The group said.

"You will leave tonight for the gate, dismissed." Daniel said.

As the group of soldiers acknowledged their orders, Xavier and Hannah were about to learn of the biggest fight that they were going to undergo...

 **Shiingrad Plaza**

 **City of Rondel**

 **11:30 am**

Mimoza took the group out for a tour of the city while Lelei's application for master status was being processed by the other members of the committee, secretly hoping to try and ease the current tensions between Arpeggio and Lelei.

"This is one of the plazas that has been named after one of the founders of Rondel." Mimoza said.

"That is interesting." Xavier said.

"I'm surprised that you two were able to resolve that argument." Hannah said to Lelei.

"After she was done shouting, we just stopped talking." Lelei said.

"Siblings. Always squabbling." Xavier said.

"Anyway, I understand that the UECG has a translator corps now." Mimoza said.

"Lelei got involved with that too." Xavier said.

"Are you kidding me?! She is involved with the UECG's Military too!" Arpeggio exclaimed.

"If you were in the previous chapters, we would have met both of you." Xavier said.

"Would you stop with the fourth wall breaks?" Hannah asked.

"Sorry." Xavier said.

"Arguments aside, I understand that the Survey Corps of the UECG has been doing mineral surveys of the outlying areas around their nation." Mimoza said.

"Yeah, they have been trying to get a better understanding of the minerals of the region." Xavier said.

"Well, Arpeggio might be able to assist with that." Mimoza said.

"Really?" Xavier asked.

"Of course, she has been practicing mineral studies, unfortunately that practice doesn't pay well." Mimoza said.

"So how does she support herself?" Hannah asked.

"I work at a printing press shop here in the city." Arpeggio explained.

"That's an interesting job." Xavier said.

"Anyway, mistress Rory, it's been awhile." Mimoza said.

"Oh my Mimoza, you've really gotten old." Rory said.

"You two know each other?" Hannah asked.

"Oh yes, it has been 50 years since we last saw each other." Mimoza said.

"I was helping her on an expedition one time, even gave her a homework assignment." Rory said.

"Which I am happy to tell you that I have finished that homework." Mimoza explained.

"That's a relief." Rory said.

"You waited 50 years to turn in your homework assignment." Xavier said in a disbelieving tone.

"In our world, you would have failed that assignment the very next day." Hannah said.

"Well, my homework is now the talk of the city." Mimoza said.

"What was the assignment that you gave her?" Hannah asked Rory.

"I asked her to try and get a better understanding of the one mystery of both your world and this one." Rory explained.

"That mystery...was The Gate." Mimoza said.

Mimoza explained that the creators of the region once every century, would open the Gate in different worlds in order for civilizations of different types to colonize it,leading them to Arnus Hill, in which they would adapt to the world whether peacefully or by force. After the lecture, Mimoza takes the group to lunch at a popular cafe, where Arpeggio reveals that she had secretly taken a liking to Xavier...

"So Lelei, what is the First Lieutenant like?" Arpeggio asked her sister.

"He's a member of the Ghosts, the UECG's Special Operations forces, and he was once an ordinary person until COLOSSUS Day." Lelei explained.

"Both he and I are members of the group." Hannah said.

"He is a Nobleman in both the Empire for saving the Emperor from an attempted assassination by Zolzal, and Elbe for killing the dragon." Rory pointed out.

"Don't forget that he and Lieutenant Perez are honorary members of the Rose Knights." Lelei added.

"He's also an honorary chieftain of my tribe alongside First Lieutenant Itami and owns an Adamantium chunk about this big." Yao explained, making a shape with her hands.

"Ooh." Arpeggio said.

"Is there a reason why you are asking questions about the First Lieutenant?" Lelei asked.

"No reason." Arpeggio said, dismissing her sister.

"I think your sister has spontaneously developed a crush on me." Xavier whispered to Lelei.

"That maybe true." Lelei responded as she noticed Arpeggio looking at Xavier with lustful eyes.

" _This is the one thing that I never expected to happen, I would have a girl that I barely know crushing on me. The writer is getting out of hand._ " Xavier said.

"Did you just do a fourth wall break again?" Hannah asked.

"No." Xavier said.

"Well, I'm already married to Itami, so I can understand if she goes after you." Lelei said.

Xavier nearly choked on his drink at what Lelei had just said, so did Hannah, Rory immediately froze up, Yao was surprised, Mimoza was strangely amused, while Arpeggio immediately went silent.

"WHAT?!" Xavier, Hannah, and Rory shouted.

"How are you married to Itami?" Hannah asked.

"We need an explanation now!" Xavier demanded.

" _He must see Lelei like a little sister._ " Yao thought.

"Relax, he and I participated in the Ceremony of the Three Nights." Lelei explained.

"What is that?" Xavier asked.

"In Rurudo Tradition, if a man and woman share the same room or bed for three nights, they are declared married." Mimoza explained.

"I don't remember you sharing the same room with Itami on any night." Xavier said.

"Then let me give you the run-down." Lelei said.

 _First Night._

 **Temple Base Break room.**

 **8:00 pm**

Itami was exhausted after his busy day, and was lying on his desk and complaining about the multiple jobs that he had to do today. His complaints ceased as Lelei entered the room...

"Itami." Lelei said, sounding fatigued.

"Lelei, I'm surprised that you are still up." Itami said.

"I'm tired, can you take me to my room?" Lelei asked, slumping to the floor.

"Have you been translating all day? No wonder you are tired." Itami said as he approached her.

But she was already asleep on her knees, which had Itami amazed by the fact that she had fallen asleep so quickly. He picked her up and walked her over to the housing area, putting her in her pjs and was about to put the blanket over her...

" _Kurata, you better not be spying on me._ " Itami thought to himself.

He pulled the blanket over her, then sat down in a chair next to the bed to make sure that she is actually asleep. He eventually drifted off to sleep as well, right next to her...

 _Second Night_

 **Three Dragons Inn**

 **City of Italica.**

 **9:00 pm.**

After a meeting in the city of Italica to discuss the status of road security due to heightened attacks on merchants, Itami and his group took a rest in the Three Dragons Inn for the night before returning to the base...

"Hey Itami?" Lelei asked.

"What is it?" Itami said.

"How do you feel about my place on your group?" Lelei inquired.

"Why are you asking that?" Itami said.

"I'm just curious." Lelei asked.

"You are the most important member of our team, without you, we wouldn't be able to have a conversation with anyone." Itami said.

"Ok." Lelei said.

The two then drifted off to sleep so they could leave in the morning...

 _Third Night_

 **Temple Base Offices**

 **9:10 pm.**

Itami was sitting in the office looking over some mission reports for a friend who was reassigned. He was tuckered out, as he was about to fall asleep at the desk and just narrowly finished the last report. He was about to exit the office when he came across Lelei passed out on the couch in the waiting area of the building...

" _I'm surprised that she stayed up waiting for me."_ Itami thought.

He wanted to walk out of the building, but was too tired to walk back to the barracks so he decided to pass out on the love seat, without knowing that he was completing the Ceremony of the Three Nights...

 _Present Day_

"Yeah, that's three nights." Hannah said.

"If he was on our world with you and both of you went to the U.S, he would be arrested for engaging in a relationship with a minor." Xavier said.

"Well, let's-" Hannah said just as Arpeggio stood up fast with her bowl of soup in hand.

"Arpeggio?" Lelei asked.

"She's first in everything, first in academics, First in combat, and now she's first with love. She needs to learn her place." Arpeggio said to herself.

In that moment, Arpeggio slammed the bowl of soup that she was holding onto directly onto Lelei's head, which had left everyone present speechless at the sight. The soup streamed off her hair and onto her master's robe, soiling it...

"Well, do you know your place now?" Arpeggio asked.

"Um, Arpeggio?" Xavier asked.

"What?" Arpeggio said.

"You may regret that." Hannah said.

"Why? Because she's m-" Arpeggio said before being smacked by a heavy telekinetic blast that hurled her out the doors of the cafe.

"Well, that escalated quickly." Hannah said as Lelei stood up angrily.

 **This chapter concludes with the beginning of the infamous battle between the two siblings, Arpeggio La Lelena and Lelei La Lelena while a squadron of UECG soldiers, plus Tuka, were about to go back to Earth in order to stop the former Crown Prince as he attempts to breach an abandoned corporation headquarters on the outskirts of Syracuse in order to gain access to the C.I.A black site that lurks below. The next chapter picks up with the siblings fight reach its climatic conclusion, and two dangerous threats emerge from the shadows, one threat has been dispatched by the former Crown Prince, but the other has occupied the Earth and the squad faces off against a force on two fronts, one natural, and the other is the most infamous monster of all...**

 **WAIT AND SEE...**


	19. Chapter 19: Enemy Emergence

**Chapter 19: Enemy Emergence**

 **Outside Cafe Dragon wind**

 **Noon.**

Right outside of the cafe, Lelei and Arpeggio got ready to face off against each other in a duel as both of them were angry at each other. Lelei was upset by the fact that her sister had ruined her robe that was a part of her application for master status, while Arpeggio was angry at Lelei for advancing further than her as she toils day and night to try and get that far. Rory jumped on a nearby stone and began to speak...

"The 13th battle between the La Lelena sisters is about to begin, officiated in the eyes of me, Rory Mercury." Rory said. "The rules of the battle are simple, no lethal strikes, the one who loses must be the First for their defense magic to fail." She explained.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Xavier asked.

"We're supposed to protect her, and she is making a scene in public." Hannah said.

"You are her bodyguards?" Mimoza asked.

"Yes, she has been declared an HVI by the government of the UECG." Xavier said.

"Oh my, I'm surprised that Arpeggio doesn't know that." Mimoza said.

"If this was a UECG city, Arpeggio would be arrested for assaulting a high value individual." Xavier said as an explosion went off.

"Well Rondel is a part of the Empire." Mimoza said as the siblings tore up the street.

"We know that already." Xavier said as a building exploded.

" _How the hell has she gotten this good?_ " Arpeggio said as Lelei appeared for another attack.

Arpeggio exploded through the building, rushing down the street in order to get away from Lelei as she soared across the sky, firing assault magic at her older sister. The siblings fought as if it was a war zone, all sorts of magic against each other to try and beat each other in the fight. Xavier watched the scene of the battle, in which he noticed hooded individuals moving around in the crowd, like they were moving into position...

"Watch the hoods moving in the crowd." Xavier said to Hannah.

"I need to end this, quickly." Lelei said to herself.

In that moment, that single moment, both siblings lashed one final attack at each other, in which Arpeggio was knocked straight into the ground by Lelei's attack while Lelei was knocked down by Arpeggio's attack. The results of the fight was that both siblings had their defense magic completely broken, in which as Lelei was about to get to her feet, one of the hooded individuals approached her with a one-handed crossbow in hand pointed directly at her, and was about to pull the trigger when a gunshot rang out. The assassin slunk to the ground, with a large bullet hole that exited through his eye, in which Lelei already knew that the man in front of her was dead.

"Who fired the shot?" Xavier asked as Cole came running up.

"Cole? What are you doing here?" Hannah asked.

"I wanted to make sure that you guys were alright." Cole said holstering his sidearm.

"What are you talking about?" Xavier said as he helped Lelei regain her balance.

"Those two saved my ass at the wind farms, I'll let them fill you in." Cole said as two individuals dressed black combat gear with hoods up approaching them.

"Who are they?" Lelei asked.

"Members of the House of Serpents." Hannah said.

"What are assassins for hire doing here?" Xavier asked.

"We were tasked to protect you and your party. My name is Traynor, and this is my student Jezebel." The male assassin said.

"Greetings." The female assassin said.

"Protect us from what?" Xavier asked.

"It's best for your safety that we don't speak in the open." Traynor explained.

"Alright, let's go back to the inn." Xavier said.

 **Icarus Inn**

 **12:23 pm**

After the fiasco in the plaza, the group withdrew back to the inn to lay low in case the attackers were to return. Traynor and Jezebel secured the room before explaining the situation to them...

"What the hell is going on?" Xavier asked.

"The former Crown Prince has dispatched a mercenary force to eliminate your group." Traynor explained.

"The mercenaries are known as the Red Wings, they are 100 strong and all cut throat killers." Jezebel said.

"So we're in for a fight." Cole said.

"Yes, by eliminating the assassins in the plaza, the mercenary leader Cervantes will seek retaliation for their deaths." Traynor said.

"So what will we do?" Arpeggio asked.

"Is there any other reason why Zolzal sent the mercenaries?" Hannah asked.

"The first reason was to seek revenge against you for beating him down in the Senate Chamber, the second was jealously against you and Lelei for slaying the Fire Dragon." Traynor explained.

"What? Lelei wasn't involved with that." Arpeggio said.

"Actually..." Yao said.

"Wait? You actually were involved with that?" Arpeggio asked her sister in disbelief.

"Cervantes will have every exit out of the city monitored, when he is ready, he lead his forces against you." Jezebel said.

"So, we're in for one wild night." Xavier said.

"That's correct." Jezebel said.

"So what do we do?" Yao asked.

"We fight." Xavier said.

"Are you sure?" Hannah asked.

"We are supposed to protect Lelei, both she and I have bull's eyes on our backs." Xavier said.

"He's right, if we run, we're going to be putting ourselves in danger." Cole said.

"Plus, they are a bunch of degenerate brutes who have chosen to challenge the most dangerous military force in Saedra." Lelei said.

"That's true, so are you in?" Xavier asked Hannah.

"Well, let's give them hell." Hannah said.

While Xavier and the others prepared to face off against a mercenary attack force, Dante and his group was about to learn how much Earth has changed since they had left...

 **Brewerton Wastes**

 **1:00 pm**

The trucks carrying the unit under Dante's command arrived on the Earth side of the Gate, each of the soldiers and Tuka were wearing armored radiation suits in case of any Gamma storms that would crop up during their time on Earth. Tuka was mortified by the sight of the condition that Earth was in, attracting Dante's attention...

"Something bothering you?" Dante asked.

"This was your home?" Tuka asked.

"Yeah, COLOSSUS Day took it all away from us." Dante said.

"What was that building?" Tuka asked, pointing to the elementary school ruins.

"That used to be a school, every Monday through Friday kids would go there to learn things." Dante explained.

"Oh." Tuka said.

"Anyway, we better get moving." Dante said.

"Okay." Tuka said.

"How much further is the target location?" Dante asked the driver.

"We've got a couple of hours drive before we get there." Raymond, the driver of the truck, said.

"Let's get moving." Dante said.

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander." Raymond said.

But as the truck drove off, a group of unknown individuals wearing what appeared to be old fire and SWAT gear emerged from the ruins of the nearby apartment complexes and pulled out a radio...

" _Inform the Chancellor, there are invaders in our nation._ " The lead individual said.

 **Abandoned Railway lines.**

 **3 miles from the target.**

 **1:10 pm**

As the truck drove across an abandoned railway line as a shortcut to the target per the request of Alex, another squad member, they were unknowingly surrounded by a group of bikers who quickly blocked off the way ahead...

"Everyone out of the vehicle, now!" Guillermo, the leader of the bikers, said.

"Why are you all still on Earth? The planet's dying." Dante said.

"We find that hard to believe." Michael, another biker, said.

"The proof is all around you, out of control earthquakes, everyday superstorms, and constant out of control ash storms." Reese, a squadmate said.

"That means its up to humanity to adapt." Guillermo said.

"Why are you stopping us when we have an important thing to do?" Dante asked.

"Because you crossed into the Morningstar Republic of The People." Guillermo said.

"What?" Itami asked.

"By illegally crossing into our territory, all of your gear and equipment belongs to Chancellor Morningstar." Guillermo said.

"Like hell, you are not taking the property of the United Earth Coalition government." Itami said.

"You do not have a choice, short round." Guillermo said as he was about to take Dante's gun.

But as Guillermo walked forward to steal Dante's gun, a female member of the bikers shot Guillermo in the head. Her actions lead to a few other bikers turning on the others, in which they immediately wiped out the biker group...

"Sorry that you had to see all that." Cassandra, the female biker, said as she reloaded her gun.

"What was that all for?" Itami asked.

"We've been wanting to do that for a long time." Tyreese, a tall, muscular biker, said as he reloaded his rifle.

"What the hell is going on? What were they talking about?" Dante asked.

"Let us fill in the blanks for you, after the exodus across the Gate, a lot of people stayed behind on Earth because they didn't believe all that stuff about the planet dying in which they immediately tried to establish their own government. Then, some guy named Richard Morningstar came along tricking people into thinking that he was some kind of messiah, with old biker groups and raider tribes running around to other settlements and extorting supplies from the settlements. Nobody knows that the guy is trying to create a facist superstate, pretending to be a messiah just to get people under his grip." Leon, one of the bikers, said.

"There's another reason why we killed Guillermo." Cassandra said.

"Really?" Dante asked.

"Follow me." Cassandra said.

Cassandra lead Dante over to a large train car that was big enough to transport cargo, opening the door. Dante looked in to see 7 young girls being tended to by a man that was wearing a faded army medic uniform...

"They are the other reason." Cassandra said.

"Who's this, Cassandra?" Chelsea parker, one of the girls asked.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Dante Perez of the Ghosts." Dante explained.

"You're a member of the Ghosts?" The heavily pregnant girl asked.

"Yes, I am." Dante said.

"Well, I'm surprised that you showed up." The short-haired girl said.

"Do we know each other?" Dante asked.

"I'll talk to you later." The girl said.

Cassandra and her biker group helped the folks out of the car, in which Dante decided to ask for the group's help in locating the target...

"So, what's with your group on this side of the Gate?" Cassandra asked.

"We're pursuing a dangerous individual who came across the Gate, he looks like this." Dante said, showing her a photo of Zolzal.

"Yeah, I've seen that guy." Cassandra said.

"You have?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, he showed up at Morningstar's hideout at the old National Guard headquarters, and demanded the location of Val Tech Systems." Cassandra said.

"Val Tech Systems?" Dante asked.

"They were once the biggest name in technological manufacturing and innovation." Cassandra said.

"They were involved in the development of COLOSSUS." Tyreese said.

"Really?" Dante asked.

"Yep." Cassandra said as the short-haired girl came over.

"Cassandra, Izzy isn't feeling well." The short-haired girl said.

"She probably needs some of her medicine." Cassandra said before walking away.

"Now we can talk." The girl said.

"How do you know who I am?" Dante asked.

"First, my name is Crystal Radford." The girl said.

"Radford? As in?" Dante said in a shocked tone.

"The Cannibalistic family that you and Xavier massacred in Texas." Crystal said, with her southern accent coming out.

Dante was rendered speechless at the fact that he was standing in the presence of the last member of the infamous Radford family that he participated in the destruction of almost a year ago.

"You're a member of the Radford family?" Dante asked.

"The last one." Crystal said.

"Are you like the other members of your family?" Dante asked in a nervous tone.

"No, I'm not." Crystal explained.

"You're not?" Dante said.

"I was in college at the time before COLOSSUS Day, was knocked unconscious and woke up in the ruins of my college dorm before it almost fell into a sinkhole." Crystal said.

"Then how did you learn about your family?" Dante asked.

"It was all they could talk about in Austin, that was about as far as I could get before I could get before I heard about the Lawmen and Rangers attack on the estate." Crystal said.

"In which that's how you learned about us." Dante said.

"Yep, I didn't care that you wiped out my family, I basically came to terms with it and accepted it." Crystal explained.

"So how did you end up with this Morningstar fellow?" Dante inquired.

"I was part of a group of people that were heading to New York, heard the broadcast about how a new home awaited on the other side of the Gate, but as we made the journey, we were ambushed by Morningstar and his folks, demanding that we have no right to leave our home. Forced us into an abandoned stadium, said it was "our new home", then took me and added me to his harem." Crystal explained.

"That's rough." Dante said.

"Anyway, when Cassandra offered to help us escape from Morningstar, we immediately jumped at the chance." Crystal said.

"Well, we got a job to do here on the other side of the Gate, so until then you guys are going to stick with us until we finish it." Dante explained.

"What about Cassandra and her people?" Crystal asked.

"They're going to help us out, then we are going to go back across the Gate and get you all integrated into the society of the UECG." Dante said.

"I'll be glad to get off this dying world." Crystal said as a small tremor shook the area.

"Was that a tremor?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, we've been getting those a lot over a couple of days." Crystal said.

"I have an explanation." Leon said.

"Let's hear it." Itami said.

"Back before I joined up with Morningstar and his crew, I was an engineer for the USGS, monitoring and maintaining the survey beacons that operated in the state. After COLOSSUS Day, I continued to monitor them in secret, because Morningstar thought it was a waste of time. I found out that a lucky kinetic rod punched through the crust with great speed and opened a new vent that lead directly to the mantle." Leon said.

"What does that mean?" Tuka asked.

"It means that COLOSSUS made a new volcano in New York State." Dante said.

"In which these quakes mean that it's gonna erupt soon." Leon said.

"So how long do we have?" Dante asked.

"Judging from a timeline that I had established, it's gonna erupt soon, maybe 8-10 hours." Leon explained.

"That complicates our mission." Reese said.

"I think I have an idea for the second part of the mission." Kubrick, one of the squad members, said.

"We'll talk about it on the way." Dante said.

While Dante and his team made their way to the target location, Xavier and Hannah were in the middle of fighting off a relentless mercenary force...

 **Outside the Icarus Inn**

 **9:00 pm**

It was the middle of the night, the entire street was completely dead silent as all the civilians were indoors and in their homes. The night was almost peaceful, until a large number of individuals bearing blood-red wings on metal shields, completely dressed in full armor. They were ready for war, lead by a man with two swords on his back and a set of blood red armor on. These individuals were the Red Wings Mercenary Company, and they were going to carry out their contract...

"Listen up, we have these so-called "Ghosts" surrounded, and we're going to send them to the other side." Cervantes said in a lowered volume.

"Let's get to work." Milo, Cervantes's second in command, said.

"Lock this street down and send in the throat cutters." Cervantes said.

The mercenaries moved around the street, forming shield walls that blocked every exit out of the building. A group of men on the rooftops fired a harpoon into an open window, sliding across a rope into the room, which had Cervantes proud. But, when the men got inside, they were unknowingly walking into a trap as they were picked off one by one from the shadows by Traynor, Jezebel, and Xavier...

" _Window entry secured, assassins defeated._ " Xavier whispered into his radio.

" _Copy that, they're about to breach the front door._ " Hannah responded.

Hannah, Cole, and Rory took up positions in the lobby of the inn to proceed with the next phase with the defense. Red Wing phalanx units marched through the front door in the intent of slaughtering the group...

"Here they come." Cole said.

"Rory, when you see an opportunity, take it." Hannah said.

Cole and Hannah opened fire on the invading mercenaries, shattering the mercenaries' defense line and Rory advanced forward with her halberd in hand. The fighting in the inn lobby left all the phalanx units dead, while Arpeggio and Yao fended off mercenaries invading through the Windows on the second floor...

"We have crippled their numbers." Jezebel said.

"Cervantes had withheld a large number of his own men for something clearly." Xavier said.

"I think I have figured it out, we have another wave on the way, he's spearheading this one." Cole said as he looked out the window.

While Xavier and the others braced for the second wave of mercenaries, Dante, his squad, and their new allies were about to attack the location of the Former Crown Prince...

 **Val Tech Systems Ruins**

 **5:30 pm.**

After a couple of hours, the truck and bikes arrived outside the ruins of Val Tech Systems, the location of the black site that the Former Crown Prince was attempting to breach in order to get some of the technology that was left behind in the site.

"Looks like a large amount of the people that accompanied him are slaves." Itami said as he looked through a binocular set in his hands.

"Do you see him?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, but he's not alone." Itami said.

"Who's with him?" Dante asked.

"Some girl with a longstaff in hand, fancy clothes and everything." Itami said.

"Grab a photo, we'll get it analyzed to see who she is when we get back." Dante said.

"Uh oh." Itami said after taking the photo.

"What is it?" Reese asked.

"The mage is about to cast some kind of spell." Itami said.

"What?" Dante said.

Itami turned back to see Zolzal and the mage girl disappear in a flash of light, leaving the command of the slaves loyal to him to an armored figure which seemed familiar to him...

"What happened?" Dante asked.

"Zolzal did a runner, left the group here in charge of a gent that I had recognized." Itami said.

"Really?" Leon said.

"Yeah, the guy he left in charge was there when Xavier kicked Zolzal's ass in the Senate Chamber." Itami explained.

"Well, the first part is a bust, but we can still destroy the site." Dante said.

"Then let's get to work." Itami said.

The group made their way down to where the tunnel was made down to the black site, killing guards and anyone who was resisting. They went down to the black site by using an elevator that built to lower both people and heavy cargo down below...

 **Project Forward Guard facility.**

 **5:40 pm**

The group arrived at the bottom of the hole, right in the center of the lobby of the abandoned black site for Project Forward Guard, which appeared to be a massive facility. They saw a lot of salvaged technology and materials around...

"Man, we must have interrupted their efforts to load up the salvaged tech." Cassandra said.

"Yeah, but something seems off." Tuka said.

"I agree, this stuff is way too heavy for just those few slaves to carry." Dante said.

"They'll need either heavy lifting gear or an army of strong men." Tyreese said.

But their conversation was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps getting closer to them, in which they immediately turned around to see a giant ogre marching up to them with a large computer slung over its shoulder...

"Or they have one of those." Itami said.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Cassandra exclaimed.

"One pissed off ogre." Dante explained.

The ogre dropped the computer that it was carrying, letting out a loud roar as the group readied for combat...

 **This chapter concludes with the group halting Zolzal's followers attempts to breach an abandoned corporation headquarters that was a front for a CIA black site that housed Project Forward Guard, and they learned of a new enemy who is known by one name: Morningstar, while Dante meets someone with a connection to his past. But after failing to capture the Former Crown Prince, the group is targeted by an angry ogre when they arrived in the underbelly of the facility. While Dante and his group face off against a ogre, Xavier and Hannah work with their group to face off against a mercenary attack force sent by Zolzal to eliminate them. The next chapter picks up with the defeat of the ogre and destruction of the facility, only for the group only to face off against the man who believes himself to be a messiah, Xavier and his group face off against the infamous Cervantes, and the Former Crown Prince makes the biggest power play that no one sees coming...**

 **WAIT AND SEE...**


	20. Chapter 20: Beginnings of a war

**Chapter 20: Beginnings of a war**

 **Project Forward Guard facility**

 **5:41 pm**

The ogre raised its club above its head, swinging it directly at the group of soldiers and bikers. They immediately jumped out of the way, firing at the beast in hopes of killing it. Dante leapt out of the way, evading the attacks of the ogre...

"Man, this thing is tough!" Dante said.

"The ones we went toe to toe with in Ligu were tougher." Itami said.

"I wasn't there for that!" Dante exclaimed.

"Aim for the eyes!" Itami shouted.

The group fired up at the eyes of the ogre in order to try and disorient the beast, sending it staggering back into a large column. A large amount of rock and scrap metal fell from the ceiling and crushed it to death...

"Well, that fight was a little anti-climatic." Cassandra said.

"Yeah, where's the big action scenes?" Itami asked.

"Cut the chatter. We have a facility that we need to destroy." Dante said.

"Ok." The group said.

"The way that we are going to take out this place is simple, but I have two ideas in mind." Leon said.

"Let's hear them." Dante said.

"First, we can fit the most important columns of this facility with demolition charges and blow them, or..." Leon said.

"Or what?" Cassandra asked.

"We can let the volcano destroy the facility." Leon said.

"That is an interesting idea." Tyreese said.

"But how will we know if that will work?" Itami asked.

"So we're going with option A, set the charges on the important columns then regroup at the lift." Dante said.

"Got it." The group said.

The group split up into four groups, Itami and Cassandra checked the mapping floor and rigged the column, Dante and Reese targeted the column on the CPU floor, Leon and another squad member rigged the column on the security level, while Tyreese and another squad member rigged the column on the engineering level. They regrouped at the lift and proceeded to return to the surface, where they got to a safe distance before blowing the charges.

"Look at the place sink." Itami said as the ruins sank into the crater.

"Yeah, we can go back to the gate." Dante said as the ground began to shake.

"What's going on?" Tuka asked.

"Look!" Leon shouted, pointing to the volcano crater.

The group saw a bright, orange light emanating from the crater until it exploded with a massive column of smoke hurling flaming debris. The group retreated to the truck, barely escaping from the exploding volcano in which they drove to the gate. While they were returning to the gate, Xavier and Hannah were in the middle of a firefight...

 **Icarus Inn**

 **9:30 pm.**

The group was firing on the advancing mercenaries, pushing back their forces while Xavier was clashing with the leader of the mercenary group. Cervantes lashed out at Xavier with his greatsword, but Xavier was easily evading each swing. Xavier fired at Cervantes' knees, causing him to fall to the ground while the rest of the group subdued the rest of the attacking mercenaries...

"You bastard!" Cervantes shouted at Xavier.

"Language, man, there are children around." Xavier said.

"You will never get away with this!" Cervantes said.

"You attempted to murder a high ranking officer of the United Earth Coalition government and one of their high valued individuals. So you are the one who is not going to get away with this." Xavier said.

"You and your UECG won't last when his plans come to fruition." Cervantes said as Traynor bound his arms.

"You mean the Former Crown Prince?" Xavier pointed out.

"The term is Emperor of the True Empire." One of Cervantes' men said.

"Really now?" Hannah said.

"Once he unlocks the secrets of your old world, he will topple the weak Emperor Molt and restore the purity of the Empire." Cervantes claimed.

"He's gone to Earth?" Jezebel said.

"He will use your own power against you." Cervantes said.

"His attempts at trying to understand the basics of our technology are about as useful as a pair of shoes on a horse." Xavier said.

"Besides, our world is going to clean its slate in a month." Hannah said.

"He will save the Empire, and your UEGC will fall." Cervantes declared.

"Well he is nothing more than a rat, trying to take one very big cat." Jezebel said coldly.

"Hog tie these fools, we've got business to take care of in the morning." Xavier said.

"That's true." Hannah said.

"La Lelena won't live to shake the hands of the committee tomorrow." Cervantes said.

"Ballsy words for a man who can't walk anymore." Xavier said before shooting out Cervantes' kneecaps.

The group then dragged the mercenaries out of the inn, while Xavier turned to Traynor to discuss Cervantes' ultimatum...

"What do you think about his little ultimatum?" Xavier asked.

"He seems like the type to plan ahead, plus there were too few of these throat-cutter mercenaries around." Traynor pointed out.

"He's probably got them on standby should the nighttime attack fail." Xavier figured.

"They may make a move against Lelei when she makes her presentation tomorrow." Traynor said.

"We have to be on our guard." Xavier said.

"Understood, sir." Traynor said

While Xavier and the others prepared for Lelei's presentation in order to protect her from the last of the Red Wings Mercenary Company, Dante and his group were about to face off against nature and a new enemy...

 **Brewerton Ruins**

 **6:20 pm**

The group drove along the beaten road back to the gate since their mission had been completed and the black site was destroyed. They kept a vigilant watch should Morningstar and his people attack, but something distracted Dante...

"What's that ticking sound?" Tuka asked.

"Stop the truck and get into cover." Dante ordered.

"What's going on?" Itami asked.

"Gamma Storm." Dante said as the environment suit wearing individuals' Geiger counters started ticking.

The truck swerved underneath a large tunnel, hidden below the abandoned McDonald's as the building was raised above the ground. The biker group followed into the tunnel, as Tuka watched as the wind picked up with great speed, the sky turned to a dark shade of green, bright flashes of lightning blazed across the sky. She watched as old vehicle wrecks and even heavy stones were being blown away by the wind.

"Now you know why we were focused on making an alliance with the Empire." Dante said.

"This is terrible." Tuka said.

"The reason why this is called a Gamma Storm, is due in large part to the radiation that comes from the green zones." He explained.

"So these strange suits are the only protection against this you have?" Tuka asked.

"That, and very thick lead blankets." Dante explained.

But before Tuka could speak, a large truck crashed into the abandoned building across the street from them, completely demolishing it. Dante looked towards the road that they had just come down only to see a monster sized tornado bright flashes of green light inside.

"What is that?!" Tuka said in a scared tone.

"Itami! Keep everyone down and in cover." Dante shouted.

"What's going on?" Itami asked.

"We've got a nuclear tornado heading our way!" Dante exclaimed.

The group immediately hunkered down, with Dante and Tuka joining them as the "nukenado" ripped its way down the street, dragging anything in its path into its funnel. A couple of the motorcycles were sucked into the funnel, much to their owners' annoyance. The storm immediately passed, and the group continued towards the Gate but found it barricaded by Morningstar and his people...

"Shit." Cassandra said.

" _Attention traitors, I believe you have something that belongs to me._ " Morningstar said into a megaphone.

"Like hell." Dante said.

" _Return my wives, and the traitors who took them, and then proceed to NBT Stadium as that will serve as your new home._ " Morningstar said.

" _Listen here, you are in no place to make demands, I am a soldier of the United Earth Coalition government, I don't answer to a maniac staying on a dying world._ " Dante responded over the truck's intercom.

"YOU ARE A TRAITOR TO YOUR HOME WORLD!" One of Morningstar's men shouted.

" _This world is not dying, this world is trying to get us to evolve and become the new generation of the human race._ " Morningstar declared.

"Oh great. He's gone nuts." Dante.

" _I'm also aware of the non-human that accompanies you, that pointy-eared girl. When you go to NBT Stadium, she will be executed for invading our home._ " Morningstar said.

Dante immediately noticed that Tuka was getting angry at the words "pointy-eared girl" had come out of his mouth. Her muscles tensed up, then quickly drew the longbow given to her by Hannah, readied an arrow and spun around the side of the truck quickly. She fired the arrow at the mace-wielding Morningstar, in which it planted itself in his left shoulder, sending him staggering to the ground. Itami quickly yanked her back as the group exchanged fire with Morningstar's men, with the LAV quickly dispatching the rest of his followers. Morningstar immediately came to after the fighting, only to see rifles pointed at him...

"Morningstar, you're under arrest for attempted murder of a UECG officer and holding people against their will." Dante said.

"Let's hog tie him and head across the Gate." Itami said.

As Dante's expedition returned across the Gate, Xavier and his group prepared to defend Lelei as she was undergoing the process to receive her master's title...

 **Rondel Presentation Hall.**

 **8:30 am**

Xavier stood next to Lelei in line so she could submit her application for the title of master to the review committee. He kept a vigilant watch for any of the Red Wings throat cutters that Cervantes had in reserve as a last resort should the attack on the inn fail.

"We're in line right now, everyone sound off." Xavier said.

" _This is Cole, I'm in position outside the building, got a clear view of the crowd._ " Cole said over the radio.

" _This is Traynor, I'm currently with Arpeggio near the east entrance to the atrium._ " Traynor said over the radio.

" _This is Jezebel, I'm on maintenance catwalks above the committee, no sign of the throat cutters._ " Jezebel said over the radio.

" _This is Hannah, I'm at the stage's back stairs, it's all clear here._ " Hannah said over the radio.

"All right, I want weapons and comm silence unless absolutely necessary. Keep your suppressors on, I don't want to throw the crowd into a panic with loud gunfire." Xavier ordered.

The duo proceeded further in line as the long line of applicants slowly moved forward. Both Lelei and Xavier kept their watch for the throat cutters, which attracted the attention of a much more older applicant behind them...

"Excuse me, but why are you two so vigilant?" The old man asked.

"We're just keeping watch for anyone who would try to harm Lelei." Xavier said.

"I'd keep watch for the snatchers then." The old man said.

"Snatchers?" Lelei asked.

"You never heard young miss? Several mages around Rondel have disappeared in the past few days." The old man said as they moved in line.

"Is there some kind of connection in the disappearances?" Xavier asked.

"The laboratories and homes where the disappearances happened were found in disarray, like there was a struggle." The old man explained.

"Why were the mages who were taken targeted?" Lelei asked.

"They were all studying the offensive capabilities of infusion magic." The old man said as the committee came into view.

But before Xavier could speak, something caught his eye as they walked forward. He saw three hooded individuals maneuvering their way through the crowd, in which he saw three more coming from the shadows behind where the committee was...

"Guys, we got trouble, they're here." Xavier said into his radio.

2 of the hooded individuals made a move towards the duo, drawing their weapons. Xavier immediately raised his sidearm, but as the assassin raised his weapon, he was immediately taken out by a blast of magic. Xavier noticed that Jezebel immediately killed another one who was hiding on a balcony while Hannah killed two more on the stage. Arpeggio and the old man took out 3 more who tried to swarm Traynor, thus ending the assassin attack...

"What is going on here?" One of the members of the review committee asked.

"Its a long story." Xavier said.

While Xavier and his group were explaining the situation to them, Zolzal was about to make the biggest power play yet...

 **Masseniga Estate.**

 **City of Teluso, Elbe**

 **8:30 pm**

The Masseniga family was the ruling family of the large port city of Teluso, and they ruled the city under a parliamentary regime. It was a peaceful time, but on this night, it was all going to change...

"How went the meeting today?" Lady Masseniga asked.

"It was canceled, all the parliament members had said that were afraid of something." Lord Masseniga said.

"That's strange." Lady Masseniga said.

All of a sudden, the lights inside of the hallway immediately went out. Lord Masseniga turned to his wife and looked at the hand that he put on her back, and it was coated in blood. She fell forward, revealing a large slash mark going down her back, much to his horror as he knew that his wife was dead...

"WHO DID THIS?!" Lord Masseniga demanded before his throat was slit open by a figure in the shadows after he drew his sword.

As he dropped to the floor dead, two assassins emerged from the shadows of the hallway. As they admired their work, Zolzal had appeared from the shadows in his royal armor to see if the deed was done. He was different than when he was exiled from the capital, his hair was longer, he had a small beard now and any trace of imperial markings on his armor were gone, as if he burnt off all traces of the Empire from his armor.

"Fantastic work." Zolzal said.

"Of course, your highness." Delvin said as he pulled his hood down.

"We have been practicing for the time to strike would come." Crispin said, doing the same as Delvin.

"Good, Delvin, light the signal for our followers in the city to strike, Crispin, open the gates for the army to mobilize." Zolzal ordered.

"Yes, Emperor." Both men said before leaving him.

After they left, Zolzal turned to a window and looked at the city below...

"Soon, this city will be the capital of the True Empire, and the old one will burn." Zolzal said to himself.

 **This chapter concludes with Zolzal making the biggest power play yet, seizing control of the city of Teluso in Elbe so he can turn it into the capital of his so-called True Empire. Xavier and Lelei have learned that several mages around Rondel have disappeared, but the signs have pointed to kidnappings so that Zolzal and his followers can utilize their offensive infusion magic research to their own use. Dante and his group destroyed the abandoned CIA black site, gained some new allies, survived a nuclear tornado (which was not filled with sharks), and captured a homicidal man who tried to force people to stay on the dying Earth as he refused to believe that the planet was dying. In the next chapter, Xavier and his group prepare to return to UECG territory but with an extra passenger (much to Xavier's annoyance), Dante learns of the Teluso situation from his father, and the fate of Zolzal's mystery mage helper is revealed. To my readers, I have recently been in college, so the release of the chapters for this story will have a delay. Furthermore, before the release of the remastered version of RWBY Tainted Blood, I will release a segment that is similar to Rooster Teeth's _World of Remnant,_ but it will cover the origins of the bio-medical superpower with strong Paramilitary forces at their command known as WHITECROSS, the main faction that is taking action in the story.**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	21. Chapter 21: War zone

**Chapter 21: War zone rescue**

 **Unknown Location**

 **City of Teluso.**

 **8:09 pm**

Deep in an unknown chamber, an Amber-haired girl was chained to the ceiling. Her eyes were blindfolded, her naked body was covered in lacerations and bruises, blood coated the floor below her. Zolzal walked around her, carrying what appeared to be a whip with serrated blades on the end of it...

"I had such high hopes for you, Reina." Zolzal said.

"But I did everything you asked, my Lord." The girl said with a broken voice.

"I know...AND YOU STILL FAILED ME!" Zolzal said, striking her with the whip.

"I gave you that structure from their world, how could I have failed you?" Reina asked with tears flooding her eyes.

"You failed me when the ogre you tamed died, and the structure was destroyed when you were supposed to protect it!" Zolzal said.

"Traveling between their world and ours had weakened me, so I couldn't get back there in time." Reina explained.

"Stop making excuses!" Zolzal shouted as he began to strike her repeatedly.

In that moment, power began to course through Reina's veins as she let out a scream so loud that she immediately disappeared in a blinding white light that released a shockwave that knocked Zolzal back. She ended up teleporting into a back alleyway in the chaos filled city, right in front of Shandy Graff, a member of the Rose Knights, alongside her colleagues Grey Co Aldo and Panache.

"Please, you must help me." Reina said in a weakened voice.

"What should we do?" Shandy asked.

"We need to get to operative Godici, she's waiting for us at the Rendezvous." Panache said.

"I...Have..." Reina said through coughing fits.

" You have what?" Grey asked as he kneeled next to her.

"Information (cough) on the (cough) crown prince." Reina said before coughing up a great deal of blood.

Grey grabbed a worn down blanket off a nearby clothesline and wrapped it around Reina, scooping her up in his arms and turning to his colleagues...

" We have a reason to take her with us now." Grey said.

" That we do." Panache said, before the sounds of fighting began to get louder.

" We must hurry!" Grey said.

The three knights escaped the alleyway and ran into an inn where they met up with Juliana, who was wielding a suppressed GS36 at the window. She turned to them as they entered the room with their unexpected guest...

"Whoa, who the hell is this?" Juliana asked as Grey set the injured Reina on the bed.

"Someone with knowledge on the crown prince's operations." Grey said.

"Why the hell is she banged up like that?" Juliana asked.

"We don't know, she appeared before us in a blinding light." Shandy said.

"Well then, trauma kit is over there, can you get for me?" Juliana said to Shandy.

"Of course." Shandy said, hurrying over to the table where a big red bag was.

"How's the situation the city?" Juliana asked.

"Its deteriorating rapidly, civilians opposing Zolzal's recent claim that he is now the ruler of the city have begun to openly attack his supporters either on the streets or in their homes, but Zolzal's army and his followers have begun launching a strong counter-offensive." Panache explained.

"What about the ruling family?" Juliana said.

"Both Lord and Lady Masseniga have been confirmed killed, however their children have escaped and fled to their relatives in Ligu." Grey explained as Shandy set the kit next to Juliana.

"Let's pray help arrives soon." Juliana said.

While Juliana tended to Reina's injuries, Dante was about to learn of the situation in progress happening in Teluso...

 **Commander Perez's office**

 **Fort Tombstone, New Sanctuary.**

 **8:30 pm**

Dante was sitting patiently in a chair while his father read his report on the expedition to destroy the black site, in which he was curious about how Zolzal was able to slip past the defenses that they had put on the Gate, and this mystery mage girl that was aiding them...

"So, do you have any questions?" Dante asked.

"Not really, I'm just glad you got back safe." Daniel said.

"Yeah, I'm still surprised that we ran into the last member of the Radford family." Dante said.

"She and the others that you brought back will be integrated into our society once their papers had been filed." Daniel said.

"I hope we can identify who that mage girl is." Dante pointed out.

"Let's hope so." Daniel started. "Anyway, after you rest up, I have another assignment for you and Xavier once he returns." He said.

"What's up?" Dante asked.

"Reports are coming out of the Kingdom of Elbe, apparently Zolzal and his followers had assassinated the lord of the city of Teluso, Elbe's major port city." Daniel explained.

"What?!" Dante said in a surprised tone.

"Furthermore, he's declared himself the city's new leader and is trying to convert it into the Capital of his "True Empire." He added.

"I'm pretty sure that a lot of people are not happy with him." Dante said.

"That's correct, because half of the city in the first few moments had pledged their support for him, while the other half took to violence against them." Daniel said.

"Is the situation being monitored?" Dante asked.

"Yes, but once Xavier returns to base, you two and a team will be going in to extract a group of HVIs from the city." Daniel said.

"So who'd we be looking for?" Dante said.

"Three of Pinya's Rose Knights, Lieutenant Commander Godici, and a possible informant." Daniel explained.

"Who's the informant?" Dante asked.

"A girl named Reina De Costa. She was apparently one of Zolzal's advisors." Daniel explained.

"That doesn't explain why she is now a defector." Dante said as Hazama walked in.

"Commander Perez, we need to talk." Hazama said.

"What is it?" Daniel inquired.

"Duran is considering mobilizing his army to retake Teluso, but something has come up." Hazama said.

"What is it?" Dante and Daniel said.

"Apparently, Zolzal and his army have apparently managed to utilize flintlock armaments." Hazama explained.

As Dante and Daniel pondered how the former crown prince managed to acquire flintlock armaments when its construction methods had in fact been a closely guarded secret, Xavier and his group was about to make a return trip back to base with an unexpected guest...

 **Icarus Inn**

 **City of Rondel**

 **3:40 am**

Xavier and his group readied themselves early in the morning in order for them to make the journey back to Fort Tombstone. Following the defeat of the Red Wings, Lelei submitted her application for mastership, but due to the incident, she would not receive official confirmation of receiving the title until an investigation of the mercenary attack was completed...

"I can't believe that they are holding an investigation." Lelei said.

"Relax Lelei, they are just looking for the person that they should send the bill to." Xavier said.

"Anyway, we should probably get on the road." Cole said as he threw his duffel bag into the trailer attached to the truck.

But before he walked to the driver's seat, all three of them heard someone say "Ow" as the bag landed on them. Xavier carefully rested his hand on his rifle, while he and Cole approached in the hopes of identifying the individual in the trailer. Cole immediately pulled the tarp under his duffel bag off, in which Arpeggio immediately sat up rubbing the side of her head where the bag landed...

"Why did you throw that so hard?" Arpeggio asked.

"ARPEGGIO, WOULD YOU PLEASE TELL US WHY YOU ARE IN OUR TRAILER?!" Xavier exclaimed.

"I wanted to surprise my future husband." Arpeggio said, leaping at Xavier, hugging him tight.

"I did not agree to this!" Xavier said.

"Besides, she has to go through the ceremony of the three nights with you." Lelei said.

"That's enough out of you, little sister." Arpeggio said, flicking Lelei in the forehead.

"Don't you need permission from your mentor to do field work?" Hannah asked as she walked into the conversation.

"When she means field work, that does not mean stalk the Lieutenant colonel." Lelei explained.

"Oh, I had already gotten the permission from Mimoza to go out in the field for geological analysis in UECG territory." Arpeggio explained.

"Oh great." Xavier said in an annoyed tone.

"So that means I can come with you!" Arpeggio said.

"Oh nuts." Rory, Lelei, and Xavier said in unison.

Putting the argument aside, the group loaded up into the truck and proceeded to drive back to base. Arpeggio sat next to Xavier, while another argument was taking place in the back seat as Lelei and Rory argued about the fact that Lelei was married to Itami, when Rory has been making all attempts to seduce the man.

"I swear, those kids are going to give me a headache." Xavier said.

"Rory's over 900 years old, so you can't consider a kid anymore." Hannah said.

"Well she is not acting like a 900-year-old adult now, is she?" Xavier said as he noticed that Cole too, was getting frustrated with them.

"You two, knock it off!" Cole hollered at the two.

"Engineer Severance?" Lelei asked.

"We're very tired right now, so stop your stinking bickering, or will turn this truck around and leave you two back at Rondel!" Cole said.

The two girls immediately went silent as the ride progressed while they journey back to base, with the three members of the Ghosts taking turns driving when one was getting more tired than the other. They arrived back at base at 10 am, where Dante came out to greet his friend...

"Looks like the Death hound came back from a wild party." Dante said sarcastically.

"I'm too tired to put up with that attitude, Pikachu." Xavier said.

"What? Was Rondel too hectic for an assignment?" Dante asked.

"Kind of, learned Lelei has a sister, fought off 100 mercenaries sent by Zolzal to try and kill me and Lelei, found out Lelei's sister has a crush on me, thwarted another assassination attempt on Lelei's life, learned that mages from Rondel have possibly been kidnapped by the former crown prince. You know, the works." Xavier explained.

"Wow, and I thought that I had the rough job." Dante remarked.

"To top it off, the sister has decided to tag along." Xavier said as Arpeggio fell face first out of the truck.

"That's Lelei's sister?" Dante said.

"Also, apparently, Lelei and Itami are married." Xavier pointed out.

"Wait, what?" Dante said.

"Anyway, you look like you have something to tell me." Xavier stated.

"Yeah. Get some rest because we have another job to do whenever you're ready." Dante said.

"What's the job?" Xavier inquired.

"VIP rescue, a certain former crown prince has staged a hostile takeover and seized control of a city in Elbe." Dante explained.

"He's shown his cards, huh?" Xavier asked.

"Yep, the VIPs that we've got to rescue is one of our own, three of Pinya's Rose Knights, and a defector from Zolzal's faction." Dante said.

"I see." Xavier said.

"By the way, what did you mean mages have disappeared from Rondel?" Dante asked.

"Apparently, mages who were researching the offensive capabilities of infusion magic had been abducted from their homes and labs in the middle of the night." Xavier said.

"Where did you hear about this?" Dante said.

"I heard about it from someone who had informed me that it is the talk of the city." Xavier said.

Xavier went off to go get some sleep due to his severe lack of it while visiting Rondel due to the firefight that he was in. When the time to go on the assignment, he woke up with Arpeggio next to him in which he was greatly annoyed by that, in which he pulled out a slip of paper and created a score chart so when the night came around, he could keep track of how many attempts she was attempting to complete the "Ceremony of the Three Nights" with him...

"Oh, I'm planning ahead for this." Xavier said to himself.

 **Teluso City Streets**

 **8:00 pm**

Under the guise of travelers, a six-person team that consisted of Dante, Xavier, Alleecia, Anna, Blaze, and Itami, entered the city in a wagon and looked around at the chaos created. Civilians clashed with each other in the streets, fighting against one another. They all knew that those loyal to the city were fighting against those who willingly given their loyalty to the exiled crown prince, in which they were also passing by citizens trying to stay out of the fighting as much as possible...

"Look at this place, Duran said that this city was a jewel in the crown of his kingdom." Anna said.

"Now its reduced to a warzone." Xavier said.

"How many people are refusing to participate in the fighting?" Itami asked.

"Reports said approximately over a few hundred non-combatants have either fled from the city, or retreated into their homes." Blaze said.

"How long until we reach the rendezvous?" Alleecia said.

"It's just a couple more blocks." Itami said.

"Keep an eye out for a fella named Bouro, he's our contact." Xavier explained.

"Who is this Bouro guy anyway?" Dante asked.

"He used to work for Tyuule, did a lot of covert work for her back when she was trying manipulate Zolzal." Xavier explained to the team.

"What?!" Blaze asked in a shocked tone.

"Relax, she wanted to manipulate the guy into causing a suicidal war, but she was satisfied with his exile and disownment." Xavier said.

"Uh-Oh." Itami said.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"Trouble." Itami said.

Xavier saw a group of men wielding flintlock rifles attempting to surround the wagon, wearing elaborate-designed armored long coats. But he also noticed something was different about the way that the rifles had looked, as they appeared to have been infused with elemental magic...

" _Well, now I know why mages from Rondel were kidnapped._ " Xavier thought.

Right before the soldiers could fire, an enormous mob of angry citizens swarmed into the area, which allowed the team to escape the wagon and flee down an alleyway with their equipment. They slip past the rampaging crowd just as the soldiers are opening fire, taking refuge in a small courtyard between the buildings...

"This job just got a whole lot more complicated." Itami said.

"Can we get to the rendezvous from here?" Dante asked.

"Or it can come to you." A voice said behind a gate.

The team turned to see a small, pig-like man in ragged clothes walking out of the shadows of the alley. He immediately began to pick the lock on the gate, revealing a white bandage over one of his eyes, finally picking the lock and opening the gate...

"You must be Bouro." Xavier said.

"That makes you six the UECG team I was told to expect." Bouro said.

"This is our contact?" Alleecia asked.

"He certainly smells like it." Dante said, covering his nose.

"Sometimes smell can be a useful tool in spying, nobody would expect to think that the boar who looks homeless to be a spy." Bouro said.

"Where's Co Aldo and the others?" Xavier asked.

"They're at an inn down this alleyway, on the other side of a residential area." Bouro explained.

"Okay." Dante said.

"Be careful, Zolzal has men patrolling the streets. He believes that he has the street locked down." Bouro explained.

"Overconfidence is making him careless." Xavier said.

"I need to oversee matters here, give my regards to Tyuule-Sama when you see her again." Bouro said before leaving.

After Bouro left, the group proceeded down the alleyway that he came out of and into the residential area. The entire district was dark, with the only lights being on were the tall street lanterns that would be lit when night came. All the lights in the buildings were out, and the neighborhood's dirt streets were covered in wagon tracks...

"Looks like the people that lived here got out of dodge when all the fighting started." Anna said as she looked at the tracks.

"I say that they were the smart ones." Blaze said.

"Cut the chatter. We need to keep moving." Xavier said.

The group made their way into the alley across the way, where they saw the building that they were looking for, surrounded by Zolzal's followers. Dante reached into his backpack, pulling out a small drone, in which he tossed it into the air after Anna started it up with the remote...

"What do you see?" Xavier asked.

"Multiple bad guys, thermal's picking up 12 more inside, searching the rooms for our VIPs." Anna explained.

"Where are they?" Itami asked.

"Fifth floor, corner room." Anna said.

"Let's move, keep it silent. I don't want the local riff raff causing trouble for us." Xavier said.

They quietly crossed the street, avoiding the massive group of soldiers that were posted at the main entrance to the inn. They slipped around the building into the alley behind it, killing two enemy soldiers posted at the rear entrance. Carefully making their way into the lobby of the inn, they drew their weapons, which were suppressed MP5s, and made their way to the target location. They arrived outside the room, where Shandy let them in...

"Glad you folks made it." Juliana said.

"Had some minor problems, ended up losing our ride into the city." Xavier said.

"Wow." Juliana said sarcastically.

"The city is falling apart, did you think that we would stroll up in shinging armor?" Dante asked.

"Enough, is this our extra VIP?" Itami asked Grey.

"Her name is Reina De Costa." Grey explained.

"She's in pretty bad shape." Anna said.

"I recognize her, she was the mage who helped Zolzal on Earth." Dante said.

"You went back to Earth? Why didn't you tell me?" Xavier asked.

"You were tired as all hell, I didn't want to disturb you unless you got your beauty sleep." Dante said.

"Cut the chatter, we need to get to the evac point." Itami said.

"Right, Shandy will stay close to Reina with Grey providing support, Juliana and Blaze will take point, Dante, Anna, Alleecia will cover the rear while Panache and I will cover the sides." Xavier said.

"Crescent guard formation, nice." Dante said.

The group made their way out of the building, fighting their way to the rendezvous point: the city harbor. They slew multiple enemy soldiers that were pursing them, taking refuge in alleys all the way to the harbor. They jumped aboard a boat that arrived at their location, driven by a masked Mikayla...

"You guys alright?" Mikayla asked.

"We're good, all VIPs accounted for." Xavier said.

"Good, because this city is falling, we need to get out of here." Mikayla said.

She drove the boat away from the docks, setting out alongside dozens of boats containing people fleeing the fighting in the city. The group watched as the small fleet of boats proceeded out towards the bay, pondering why so many people have had the lives they built completely destroyed by the conflict. That moment immediately ended when one of the boats exploded.

"What the hell?" Anna said.

"They're firing on civilians?!" Itami exclaimed.

"Why the hell are they are doing that?" Xavier asked.

As the Ghosts discussed the issue, Reina was covering her ears as she tried to ignore the fact that Zolzal's followers were opening fire on civilians fleeing the city by boat. She then leapt out of her seat, casting wards over the still intact fleeing boats. They escaped the harbor, accompanied by 4 of the 6 ships that were evacuating...

 **(This last part is Xavier and Daniel talking about the outcome of the conflict.)**

"The two ships that Zolzal's men sunk had 30 civilians on each, all hands lost." Xavier said.

"That's rough, but the casualty reports coming out of Teluso are worse." Daniel said.

"How much?" Xavier asked.

"Over 34,000 civilians were killed in the fighting, with another 40,000 going underground." Daniel explained.

"My god, Zolzal completely ignored civilian casualties while trying to cement his grip on the city." Xavier said.

"To him, if you fight against his authority, you are not worthy to exist in his empire." Daniel explained.

"Anyway, did we learn anything from Reina?" Xavier said.

"She gave us the location of the missing mages from Rondel. Zolzal is holding them prisoner and forcing them to create magic-infused weapons for his army." Daniel said.

"He's building a stockpile." Xavier said.

"Our first priority is to destroy the stockpile and rescue the captives. This signifies the start of our construction of a retaliatory response operation should he make a move against Saedra." Daniel said.

"You really think that he will make a move against the Empire?" Xavier asked.

"War is inevitable, so we are going to make sure that we have the biggest stick." Daniel said.

 **This chapter concludes with A UECG covert team infiltrating a city in chaos and rescuing a group of high value individuals from the city. One of those individuals was a former follower of the Former Crown Prince, who revealed the location of the missing mages from Rondel, whom Zolzal has taken captive. The next chapter picks up with a mission to destroy the stockpile of magic-infused weapons and rescue the captives. But on this mission, the final endgame of the Former Crown Prince is revealed...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	22. Chapter 22: Removing Tiger's Teeth

**Chapter 22: Removing the Tiger's Teeth.**

 **New Sanctuary Military Headquarters**

 **1:00 pm**

Daniel had met with the other leaders of the UECG's main military forces to discuss a plan of action against the former crown prince, who was getting ready for war against the empire, at the main headquarters for the UECG military forces in the city of New Sanctuary. The leaders consisted of General Darius McCoy, a man of British descent and Commander of the infantry forces, Rear Admiral Pong Tai Xing, a prominent Chinese admiral in the UECG'S naval fleet, and Brigadier General Dalton Stone of the Air Forces, and General Hazama.

"Gentlemen, we are faced with a serious problem." Daniel explained.

"Yes, the former Saedran crown prince has begun making moves against us." Stone said.

"He's attempted to assassinate VIP Lelei La Lelena due to her involvement in the destruction of the Fire Dragon and the establishment of our Translator Corps." Daniel explained.

"He has also stolen flintlock armaments that were intended for the Empire." McCoy said.

"To add to that, he has abducted mages from the city of Rondel that were prominent researchers on the study of infusion magic." Daniel said.

"We've read Lieutenant Colonel Moore's report on the covert operation to Teluso." Stone stated.

"Yes, if he has managed to find a way to infuse magic into those weapons, he poses a serious security risk." Daniel pointed out.

"I agree, we must eliminate this man before he makes his move." Xing said.

"I agree, It's time that we raise the black flag and start cutting some throats." Daniel said.

"So what do you have in mind, old friend?" Hazama said.

"With information provided by Reina De Costa, a defector from his side, we have the location of where he's keeping both the mages and the weapons." Daniel said. "I say, we have an advanced team infiltrate the stronghold, rescue the captives, and destroy the infused munitions before Zolzal can further distribute them to his forces." He explained.

"It will take more than just one team for this assignment." Xing said.

"What do you have in mind Admiral?" Daniel asked.

"Where are these munitions and mages being held captive?" Xing inquired.

"At a fortress along the coast of Elbe, near the border of Ligu." Daniel explained.

"Have the advanced team place a transmitter beacon where the munitions stockpile resides, I can have a ship on standby near there to blow it to hell." Xing explained.

"How will we evacuate the mages?" McCoy explained.

"I can have zodiacs on standby to retrieve them and the team before the ship bombards the fortress." Hazama said.

"Understood." Daniel said.

"Another thing, what will we do if Zolzal makes his move on the empire?" Xing asked.

"That's what this operation is for, it's our first step in constructing a retaliatory response should he make a move against the Imperial Capital." Daniel said.

"What do we want to call this operation?" Hazama asked.

"I was considering the name Operation: Swift Strike ." Daniel said. "The name of the retaliatory response operation is Operation: Saving Grace." He added.

"That works, we'd being saving a civilization after all." McCoy said.

"Alright, we have work to do gentlemen, let's do it." Daniel said.

Each individual went to work on preparing their part of the operation, in which Daniel went to work on selecting candidates among his own forces for the infiltration mission. While they were doing that, Reina was about to make the most unlikeliest friend that she had never expected...

 **Fort Tombstone Infirmary**

 **1:32 pm**

Reina is sitting in the infirmary of Fort Tombstone, undergoing physical therapy treatments under the supervision of Alexandra Silver, the base's current physical therapist. Alexandra or "Alex" to her friends, was a woman in her mid-20's with bright auburn hair. A silver streak was on the right side of her hair, which was tied back into a ponytail, and she was dressed in a nurse's uniform, testing Reina's muscular movement to see if she had recovered from the surgeries she had underwent.

"Does it hurt to move your arm?" Alexandra said.

"Not as much as it did before." Reina said.

"That's a good thing, it means that you won't have to worry about lifting your arm and it feeling sore." Alexandra said.

"I found it strange why your doctors had to poke around inside my body." Reina said.

"Our kind of surgery addresses both physical and internal issues in the body, because the organs inside of you can be damaged, given enough force or impact." Alexandra explained.

"So this therapy helps?" Reina asked.

"Yes, it's to see if it was a success and that you are on the road to healing." Alexandra explained.

"I wish to know about these "therapies"." Reina said.

"There are multiple kinds, the one you are undergoing is physical therapy." Alexandra explained.

"What about the other kinds?" Reina asked.

"There is also Addiction therapies." Alexandra explained, though she had sounded disturbed by it.

"Is something wrong with these Addiction therapies?" Reina asked.

"No, it's just that I once went through it." Alexandra explained.

"Really?" Reina asked, sounding curious.

"I was once a regular therapist, but after some stressful things in my life came along, I turned to drugs in order to try and forget the stress and pain they caused me." Alexandra explained.

"You became addicted to these drugs?" Reina asked.

"Mainly heroin, a drug that was extracted by a plant that was once grown on our old world." Alexandra explained.

"What happened to you?" Reina said.

"My bank was on the verge of foreclosing my home, my boyfriend had been cheating on me with his fitness trainer, and my daughter had been secretly participating in activities that I did not approve of." Alexandra explained." After my addiction nearly got me killed, I had realized that my actions were going to end me before I could live my life. So I entered a detox clinic in which I got clean of the drug, but on the day of my freedom, everything had started to come to an end." She added.

"COLOSSUS Day." Reina said in a shocked tone.

"Yep, barely escaped the area where the clinic was before a kinetic rod turned it into a crater. After that, I was on my own for awhile, desperately seeking out any news about my daughter." She said.

"What happened?" Reina said.

"Her father died of severe ash inhalation, while she survived to become a skilled pilot in the Ghosts." Alexandra said.

"She serves in the military?" Reina said.

"Yeah, she was there during the battle of Italica." Alexandra said. "What about you? What drove you to the arms of a prick like the former crown prince?" Alexandra said.

"I was a lot younger, easily swayed by his words of making the Empire stronger again. I actually believed him, but I was unaware of what he had done in the Capital and to the Ghosts." Reina said. "So one day, I had found him and his followers wandering the land, in which I had immediately offered to help them. Zolzal had made use of my research and knowledge of teleportation magic, in which he had me use my abilities to help him and his followers escape whenever Imperial loyalists that supported the Emperor's proclamation that condemned the actions of him and his followers." She explained.

"So you had no idea that he was a lunatic." Alexandra said.

"I refused to believe it, I thought he was a good man." Reina said. "But with everything I was doing for him, he just didn't seem satisfied with what I gave to his cause, all he cared about was achieving his agenda. I started to realize that he believed that making friends with Earth's inhabitants was a stupid move, as he dismissed the existence of the raider clans that prowled the ruined Earth." She said.

"Then who received the blame for the massacre of the expedition that they had sent?" Alexandra explained.

"He blamed the Ghosts, thought they had massacred the expedition and escaped the blame by framing the other clans. He actually admired that about them, but was still disgusted by the fact that they did not use weapons that he felt were more useful to warriors." Reina said.

"So he didn't like the fact that the Ghosts were using firearms." Alexandra said.

"Yes. He considers it cowardly to be fighting from a distance like the way the Ghosts do." Reina said.

As Alexandra and Reina talked, a visiting group from the Rose Knights learns the terrible history of the day when COLOSSUS ended the earth...

 **COLOSSUS Memorial center**

 **New Sanctuary.**

 **5:32 pm**

The COLOSSUS Memorial Center was a massive rounded building that was established during the main construction of the city itself. In its main hall, were repaired TV monitors giving presentation slides of images of the devastation that was caused on that fateful day. There was also a side area where people could listen to recorded statements and reactions to the devastating events, but the main exhibit under the massive dome was where the real memorial had resided. Under the dome, it's massive walls that wrapped around it were covered with the names of every man, woman, and child that were killed on either COLOSSUS Day or during the Hell Year that they suffered. In the center of the room, an intact but damaged COLOSSUS satellite that was recovered by British forces after it crash landed into the tower of London, sat on a granite pedestal. Bozes, Grey, Shandy, and Panache visited the building in order to learn as part of their day off from the Rose Knights...

"Is this the right place?" Panache asked.

"This place was highly recommended when we decided to visit the city." Grey explained.

"Where's Shandy?" Bozes said, realizing that Shandy had wandered off.

Panache found her in the Listening Area, scrolling through a section called _The Weeping Families,_ clicking on a recorded section that had her on the brink of tears. The recording was a video of a 8-yr-old girl crying out for her mommy and daddy while people searched through ruined buildings, followed other videos of young children doing the same, with their ages ranging from 8 to even 17 years old.

"Shandy?" Bozes asked.

"Oh, sorry." Shandy said, startled by Bozes.

"What were you looking at?" Bozes inquired as Shandy dried her tears.

"I saw these people putting these objects on their heads and I was curious to see what they were observing." She started. "I watched this moving image compilation what appeared to be children screaming for their missing loved ones after this horrific event." Shandy explained.

"I see." Bozes said.

After setting her headset down, Bozes sat down in her place as she needed to calm down after seeing that. She took off her hat, picked up and put on the headset, then scrolled to the section labeled _Recorded Interviews,_ where she clicked a random name to see what all the commotion was about. She had clicked on Patrick Kellogg, and listened as he was interviewed by an unknown male...

" _What were you doing when COLOSSUS Day occurred?_ " The interviewer asked.

" _I was camping with my niece and son for the weekend as my boy had just graduated from high school._ " Kellogg explained.

" _I see, what was your initial reaction when the bombardment began_?" The Interviewer said.

" _When the bombardment began, I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was like giant things of fire were coming down from the sky, laying waste to the entire regions that they were hitting. We raced to pack up our camp as soon as the entire landscape just opposite of us was thrusting upward before sinking back down. I drove like my life depended on it, racing off the campgrounds and onto the highway back towards the town to rescue their mother, only for an earthquake to cause the road to break apart and throw my jeep into a trench like it was a baseball. My son was killed, so me and my niece struggled to get back to town on foot as it was a day's journey."_ Kellogg explained.

" _What happened when you arrived back in town?_ " The interviewer said.

" _We quickly regrouped with my wife and her sister, but her husband and her newborn infant were killed by ash inhalation._ " Kellogg said, with signs of his voice beginning to break.

" _This interview is over._ " The interviewer said as Kellogg was heard sobbing in the background.

Bozes took the headset off, then proceeded to fix up her hair before putting her hat back on, then leaving the side area. She looked up to see that the section was in fact called the _Voices of the Past_ , then regrouped with Panache outside the memorial hall. They rejoined Grey and Shandy, who were speechless at the sight of the massive satellite...

"This is one of the weapons that destroyed their world?" Shandy asked.

"According to this plaque, it was just one of many." Grey said, looking at the bronze plaque at the base of the pedestal.

"There are a lot of people here." Panache said.

The knights looked around to see people looking at the walls, either crying or laying a bouquet of flowers at the base of the wall. They even noticed UECG soldiers on their day off paying their respects to those who had died, wearing their formal uniforms. These actions left the knights amazed, as men and women whose sole purpose was to safeguard their nation have shown that they have a sense of honor when it comes to the fallen.

"This event affected a great deal of them." Shandy said.

"Their entire home world was destroyed by the weapon that sits in the center of this place." Grey said.

"Why do they remind themselves about this disaster and keep the weapon around?" Panache asked.

"They keep it as a reminder." A voice said behind them.

The knights turned to face a young woman in a formal UECG officer's uniform, holding her hat tucked under her arm. She was about Panache's age, with short-cropped brunette hair and a burn scar on the left side of her neck that almost went up to her ear and a silver crescent moon pendant around her neck.

"A reminder?" Grey asked.

"A Reminder that when we aimed for more than we could reach, it brought us nothing but suffering as a result." The woman explained.

"So they keep one of the weapons that brought ruin to your world in this place on open display?" Bozes said.

"They keep it here in order to show people our downfall. Besides, the thing has been dead for years as all of its major firing systems were fried in the crash." She said.

"So you show the teeth of the tiger that ripped your world apart." Grey said.

"In which we strive to rip that tiger's teeth right out of his mouth so we never suffer another tragedy like COLOSSUS Day again." The woman explained.

"What is your name, miss?" Shandy asked.

"I'm Corporal Maya Reyes, member of the UECG'S army corps of engineers." She responded.

"What brings you here, Corporal Reyes?" Bozes said.

"I was paying my respects to my mother, today she would have been 86." Maya said.

"She died?" Panache said.

"She was killed when the kinetic rods fired by the COLOSSUS satellites laid waste to San Francisco." Maya explained.

As they listened to Maya's story, Operation: Swift Strike was under way...

 **Maris Kell Citadel**

 **Eastern Edge of Elbe Coast**

 **8:30 pm**

A team of Ghosts were underneath the water outside Maris Kell Citadel, the chief stronghold occupied by the rebels under the command of the Former Crown Prince. They were silently mobilizing in order to take out the stronghold's magic-infused arsenal of weapons and rescue the captive mages forced to make them. The two teams were spearheaded by Dante and Morgan Moreira, as they were some of the top operatives that existed within the Ghosts' main combat rating. Dante's team began to swim towards the docking inlet alongside Morgan's, and they were getting ready for the job, but a boat was blocking the inlet...

" _Raven 4-1, this is Absalom 3-4, ready to execute."_ Dante said into his radio.

" _Copy that Absalom, be advised, hostiles are loading a shipment of the infused weapons onto the vessel currently in the harbor._ " Morgan responded.

" _Understood, moving to plant the charges._ " Dante said, signaling his team.

The divers moved underneath the boat and planted explosive mines underneath the boat, swimming to safety after syncing the explosives to a detonator being held by Morgan. After a couple of moments, the boat had set out from the inlet, attempting to deliver the shipment of magic-infused guns to an unspecified location, but exploding thanks to the planted bombs sinking the vessel just out of range of the citadel. Dante and his team then took out the hostiles at the inlet, then got ready to breach a wall near the arsenal...

"All right, Roberts, Mason, I want you two be on standby for Raven 4-1's arrival, keep this place secure as it will be our exit point once we secure the hostages and destroy the arsenal." Dante said.

"You got it." The two soldiers said.

"Everyone else on me, we're going to secure the hostages before moving to the arsenal." Dante ordered.

The team snuck into the fort to secure the captive mages, freeing a large group of them from the holding cells...

"Thank you for freeing us." One of the mages said.

"You're welcome, where are the others?" Dante asked.

"Zolzal kept them at the workshops near the arsenal, just adjacent of this building in the courtyard." A mage explained.

"Alright, head down this corridor and there will be two gentlemen who will be on standby to get all of you to safety, now move." Dante said.

The mages raced down the corridor towards the inlet, while Dante and the team made their way towards the arsenal workshops in order to rescue the mages that were being held captive there. They crossed the courtyard, in which they entered the building where the workshops were.

"Raven 4-1, we are about to secure the last of the hostages, ready to execute." Dante said.

" _Copy that, We've just wrapped up securing the first group that you sent us._ " Morgan responded.

They breached the workshops by tossing a flashbang into the room and eliminating the majority of the guards in the room before the rest went running away in fear. They immediately started going to work on evacuating the captives when one came up to Dante...

"Sir, thank you for saving us." The mage said.

"You're welcome, now let's get you out of here." Dante said.

"Wait, what about the manifest?" The mage asked.

"Manifest?" Dante inquired.

"The watchman kept a copy of the manifest where each weapon shipment was supposed to go." The mage explained.

"Do you know where this manifest is?" Dante asked.

"In his office, just over there." The mage said, pointing to a room on the opposite side of the workshops.

"Trask, with me, the rest of you, give the civilians to safety and then start planting the charges in the arsenal." Dante ordered.

The two soldiers breached the small office and recovered the manifest, which took the shape of a large, black book. They regrouped with the team at the arsenal and set a series of C4 charges in the barrels of gunpowder and retreated from the building back towards their exit.

" _Raven 4-1, phoenix is about to take flight, and the former crown prince is about to get disarmed._ " Dante said.

" _Set the big fire bird free._ " Morgan responded.

Dante clicked the detonator as they rushed down the steps and the arsenal exploded in an enormous ball of fire. The shockwave unintentionally threw both operatives down the steps as every soldier in the base began scrambling to operate the base after their stockpile of magically infused weaponry exploded into a ball of fire. Trask and Dante scrambled to their feet, racing to the zodiacs in order to escape the citadel before they could be discovered.

"That was some fireworks." Mason said.

"I know, Trask still has a ringing in his ear." Dante said.

"What took you so long?" Simon, another squad mate, asked.

"Picked up some extra intelligence for us, a manifest to where he was sending the weapons." Dante explained.

"That ought to be useful." Morgan said.

"Well, let's have a look." Sarah, one of Morgan's teammates said.

"Okay." Dante said, opening the book.

Dante opened the book and what he had seen had made surprised. He flipped through every page, only for his expression to show signs of both shock and horror, which had the rest of the soldiers completely confused...

"What is it?" Morgan asked.

"That shipment we sunk may have been the last one." Dante said.

"Yeah, it was." Mason remarked.

"No, it literally was." Dante said.

"What are you talking about?" Morgan asked.

"I need a map of the empire." Dante said.

"We'll get one out once we get back aboard the ship." Morgan said.

After boarding the ship, Dante raced to the map room after leaving the manifest in the care of Morgan. She opened it up herself and saw the lists of the shipments being sent to a specified set of coordinates, in which she followed Dante to the map room where he was looking a digital map of the entire Saedran province.

"Dante, what's going on?" Morgan asked.

"The coordinates in that manifest are pointing to different locations in Saedra, namely routes that lead directly to the Capital." Dante explained.

"That means?" Morgan said.

"That Citadel was sending out shipments to staging bases around Saedra." Dante said.

"You're saying that he's got the entire Empire surrounded?" Morgan inquired.

"Yes, but there was something else I noticed." Dante said.

"What was it?" Morgan said.

"The date for the supposed "Victory Day"...that day is tomorrow." Dante said.

"He's got an army surrounding the entire Empire and they don't even know it." Morgan realized.

"Officer, get me a direct line to Tombstone command, Gravekeeper." Dante ordered.

"Yes sir." The Comms officer said.

Dante went over to a video monitor, where the Comms officer brought up his father on the video screen...

" _Dante, what is it?_ " Daniel asked.

"There's been a bit of a development after destroying the stockpile at the citadel." Dante said.

" _What do you mean?_ " Daniel said.

"We found a manifest that has pointed out that the former crown prince has been shipping guns to strategic positions around Saedra." Dante explained.

" _That's good, we can stomp his rebellion out before it spreads._ " Daniel said.

"But the suspected date that he was going to invade the Imperial capital was way off. _"_ Dante explained.

" _What are you talking about?"_ Daniel said, starting to sound concerned.

"He's going to strike not sometime next week, not next month...he's going to strike at the Empire tomorrow." Dante said.

" _I thought we had more time._ " Daniel said.

"Well, the Empire is about to run out of it." Dante said.

" _Get back to Base, we'll discuss the details then._ " Daniel said before the link cut.

He then walked over to his desk and picked up his phone and began to speak...

"Inform the council, I am issuing a priority one order to all UECG assets, we are moving to threat level alpha red. Saving Grace is to be launched tomorrow." Daniel said.

" _Understood sir._ " The voice on the other end said.

Daniel knew what this meant, war was inevitable...

 **This is it, this chapter concludes with the spark of war starting a fire. Zolzal has been strategically facilitating a plan to invade the capital by attacking it from strategic positions that are in close proximity to the capital, in which that the Ghosts and the military of the UECG were now aware of. Only one more chapter is left, then I shall move on to another story I have been secretly developing. The next chapter is going to be a big one readers, as the ultimate battle to decide the fate of the nation that had saved the lives of the survivors of Earth hangs in the balance. In the final chapter, there will be moments where your heart will race as the conflict is felt throughout the world of Saedra. But there is one thing, Zolzal may have seen it all, but he'll never see a Ghost...**

 **WAIT AND SEE.**


	23. Chapter 23: Never see a Ghost

**Chapter 23: Never See A Ghost**

 **Imperial Capital**

 **Saedran Province**

 **3:40 am**

A lone imperial soldier was making his rounds on the walls of the imperial capital, keeping a vigilant watch for signs of trouble. He passed by his comrades, as some were resting or holding their guard up, which humored him a bit due to them working hard even though it was so early in the morning. He was walking away, when he began to hear a whistling sound that had just seemed to get louder and closer to him. He was about to investigate when the stone of the wall exploded a large chunk of rock off, which caused him to fall backward. He got back up to see his comrades along the wall to either be falling or firing arrows at something, in which he saw hundreds of lights coming over the horizon towards the capital. He ran to the large bell atop one of the towers, and immediately began to ring it loudly to warn the capital. Pinya emerged from her quarters, looking over the railing to see what the trouble was...

"He's here." Pinya said to herself.

While she went to work, the UECG was preparing for battle...

 **Fort Tombstone**

 **New Sanctuary, Capital of the UECG**

 **4:01 am**

Alarms were blaring throughout the base as multiple C-130s and Antonovs lined up on the runway at the airfield. Inside the buildings, soldiers were gearing up for combat deployment and mobilizing out into the field, in which Dante had scrambled awake and threw his uniform on, in which he decided to ask one of his fellow soldiers what was going on...

"Hey what's going on? Watts, what's going on?" Dante asked.

"It's war, we're going to war." Watts casually explained.

Dante raced down the hall alongside the other soldiers where he saw Anna in her flight gear about to head out alongside Juliana. He threw on his combat armor and received a rifle from the quartermaster, in which he asked Blaze, who was in the middle of making sure his knives were sharp enough to use...

"Blaze, what the hell is going on?" Dante asked as he loaded his rifle.

"Your Intel proved right, Zolzal and his army just launched a full frontal assault on the capital." Blaze explained.

"How'd you find out?" Dante asked.

"Xavier told me, he left with the convoy under Kengun's command about an Hour ago." Blaze explained, sheathing his knives.

"Okay." Dante said, shouldering his rifle.

All soldiers proceeded out to the field where they were to be spoken to by Commander Perez before marching to war. Dante fell in line with his fellow ghosts, in which he saw his father take a position at the podium on the platform that all soldiers stood at, waiting for what he had to say...

" _Soldiers of the UECG, we have been called upon for action. We owe a great debt to the people of the Saedran Empire for what they did for us during the dark time we were in when our world fell to COLOSSUS DAY, and they allowed our people to relocate to this world. The former crown prince of their empire seeks to lay waste to the capital and erase their history, we will not let that happen as we will crush this rebellion before he could achieve his goal and try to force us back on our dead world. This Empire is our greatest ally and friend, and friends do not abandon their fellows in their time of need. Perhaps it fate you know, that if this was Earth, it would be the 4th of July in America right about now, and here we are fighting for our freedom. That freedom is the freedom to live and exist, so we will descend upon the former crown prince and his army and let him feel the fury of an entire civilization and he will know that we are slaves that he can push around. Because should we win the day, the 4th of July would no longer just be that holiday that Americans would celebrate, but the day when two worlds stood together and decreed in one voice that we will not fall, we never surrender, and that we will not be stomped out. This is our home, and we will fight until we reach the one thing all soldiers seek...PRIMO VICTORIA!_ " Daniel said to the soldiers.

"PRIMO VICTORIA!" The soldiers shouted back.

After the speech, every soldier loaded up into helicopters and planes, in which radio chatter was at an all-time high as the army prepared to mobilize...

" _This is Ariel Wing, ready to receive gorgon_ _company_." A female pilot said.

" _Copy Ariel, this is Gorgon 1-1, we're loading up now._ " A tank commander said.

" _This is Falcon 6-1, 2nd division is onboard and we're ready to deploy._ " A Chinook pilot said.

" _Copy that Falcon, proceed to target coordinates and deploy division._ " A radio operator said.

" _Valkyrie Pilots, get ready for launch._ " A voice said over the PA.

Chrystal and Virginia Miller, two members of the Valkyrie squadron (the UECG'S top pilots) got ready for take off at the runway for their assignment...

"Do you know what the plan is sis?" Chrystal asked.

" _We're going to be cleaning up the airspace so Ariel can drop the tank division off._ " Virginia explained over the radio.

"How are we going to shoot, the radars on these F-18s are still buggy." Chrystal pointed out.

" _A group of Ghost teams are on the ground and they're going to laser target them for us._ " Virginia explained.

The F-18 group took off with tremendous speed into the air alongside the other planes towards Saedra, in which hundreds of Helicopters took off alongside them. As they came into range of the capital as it was under siege, Xavier and his group of soldiers went to work...

 **Ghost Forward Position #1**

 **4:10 am**

Xavier and a group of ghosts were at their scouting position, marking a massive field where Zolzal's military forces were gathering their winged dragons for the assault, with a laser designator. He heard the sound of the planes approaching, so he immediately jumped on his radio...

"Valkyrie 3-4, this is Echo 5-9, target zone marked." Xavier said.

" _Solid copy, echo, firing._ " Chrystal said.

The group watched as the Valkyrie Squadron decimated the enemy position with a strong bombardment, wiping out the dragons and killing any others in the air. They proceeded to hop onto their ATVs and raced to their next position: the West Gate of the Capital. Upon arriving, they immediately engaged hostiles who had taken over the position, and were about to execute captive imperial soldiers and rescued them just as the other scouting teams arrived.

"What took you so long?" Xavier asked.

"Long story." Mason said.

"He got lost." Brian said.

"No, I didn't." Mason responded.

"Eighty-six the attitude. Command, this is Echo-5-9, west gate secure." Xavier said into his radio.

" _Copy that, Ariel wing is on the way and reinforcements inbound._ " A voice on his radio said.

Xavier watched as a convoy of large Humvees and trucks came towards them and the massive fleet of planes that surged over the horizon. Some of the massive planes got closer to the ground, in which their rear doors opened and two tanks slid out of each plane and drove across the plains. The convoy arrived and a man in a green uniform stepped out of the main Humvee, and walked straight up to Xavier...

"Good timing Colonel." Xavier said, shaking his hand.

"Likewise, we'll work on evacuating any non-combatants in this area." Kengun said.

"I'll go with the other advanced teams and clear a zone for the folks at the jade palace to evacuate." Xavier said.

"Alright." Kengun said.

Xavier and the advanced teams took off for the Jade palace to evacuate the ambassadors there, seeing the Rose Knights in a brutal battle against the hostile invaders. The teams opened fire, eliminating the enemy officers and deploying explosives, sending the rest of the hostiles running. The group immediately went to help the Rose Knights and their injured when Brian jumped on the radio to call for evac.

"Angel 6-4, this is Echo 5-9, Jade Palace plaza secure, ready for transports to secure occupants." Brian said.

" _Copy that Echo, birds are inbound for pickup._ " A helicopter pilot said.

As Blackhawks arrived with three Chinook helicopters, Xavier worked with Bozes to gather up the wounded and the rest of the knights to loaded onto the choppers. After the Chinooks touched down, Xavier had the wounded knights loaded into the Chinooks alongside the ambassadors and visiting senators, while the remaining knights would board the Blackhawks. But something in that moment would change the situation quickly...

"All right, all VIPs are secure." Xavier said as the choppers took off.

" _Copy that, wait.._ " A Blackhawk pilot said.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

" _I got movement in the tree line beside you!"_ The Pilot said as shots started to ring out.

"CONTACT!" Xavier shouted.

The Ghosts immediately engaged enemy soldiers that were hiding in the tree line, in which someone hurtled a fireball at one of the Blackhawks...

"Incoming!" The pilot shouted as she swerved the chopper to avoid the shot.

"AHH!" Beefeater screamed.

"CATY!" Bozes shouted.

The reason for the scream was that Captain Beefeater, one of the knights onboard, had fallen out because of the swerve maneuver. Bozes watched in horror as Beefeater fell from the helicopter and hit the ground hard, lying there motionless...

"Shit, Echo 5-9, do you copy?!" The pilot said.

" _What's wrong?_ " Xavier asked.

"One of the rose knights just fell from my bird, she's on the ground 4 meters from you." The pilot explained.

" _I see her._ " Xavier said.

Xavier immediately rushed over to the motionless Beefeater to assess her current condition. He saw that she had blood slowly trickling from her nose, she was breathing heavily, and she looked terrified out of her mind liked she had gone into shock...

" _What's her status?_ " The pilot asked.

"She's alive, get out of here and we'll take her to the convoy." Xavier responded. "CANTON! Get over here!" He shouted as the chopper flew away.

A Ghost with a red cross sash on his right arm came rushing over to Xavier and the injured Beefeater as the rest of the group fought off the last of the hostiles and pulled his backpack off...

"What happened to her?" Canton asked.

"She fell out of the chopper when someone took a pot shot at it." Xavier explained.

"Well, she's lucky she's got her armor on, but looks like she's got a severe concussion." Canton said.

"She looks like she's also gone into shock." Xavier pointed out.

"We need to get her to the convoy and get her out of here. Penebaker, I need the stretcher!" Canton hollered.

Two soldiers unfolded the stretcher while Canton put a neck brace around Beeferater's neck as they came over. They picked up the injured Beefeater and put her on the stretcher and carried her all the way back towards the West gate...

 **West Gate UECG Convoy**

 **4:30 am**

Colonel Kengun and his group had just finished loading up a group of non-combatants into the trucks while fighting off Zolzal's forces, Kuribayashi and Tomita were talking when Tomita spotted the Ghost group lead by Xavier running up to the convoy carrying the injured Beefeater on the stretcher so she walked up...

"What happened to her?" Kuribayashi asked.

"Someone took a pot shot at the chopper she was on, she accidentally fell out." Xavier explained.

"Tomita, help them get her into one of the trucks, I'll inform Colonel Kengun." Kuribayashi said.

"Alright." Tomita said.

Tomita immediately helped the team in getting the injured Beefeater into one of the trucks, while Kuribayashi informed Colonel Kengun of the situation. After Tomita closed the doors on the truck that they put Beefeater in, Kengun came over to Xavier with some info...

"Lieutenant colonel Moore!" Kengun said.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"New orders from the higher ups, Zolzal has been spotted heading towards the palace." Kengun explained.

"Where?" Xavier demanded.

"He's heading through the military district, he'll be in the palace district in ten minutes." Kengun explained.

"What are my orders?" Xavier asked.

"Gravekeeper wants to you intercept the Former Crown Prince and his escort group before they reach the palace." Kengun said.

"Copy that." Xavier said.

"Cut through the market. That's the fastest route." Tomita explained.

"Thanks, make sure that the non-combatants get out safe." Xavier said.

"I forgot to mention, Phoenix Leader will be providing Apache support." Kengun explained.

"Of course, Juliana gets to protect my ass again." Xavier remarked.

"You're lucky someone actually knows how to watch your back." Kengun said.

Xavier and his group immediately took off for the market district while the convoy set out to safety with its civilian passengers. The group battled their way into the market district, combating enemy soldiers and recruiting imperial soldiers to their efforts. While Xavier pushed forward, Blaze was about to unleash the reason why he was called the "Hell Razor"...

 **Red Light district**

 **5:01 am**

The red light district was ablaze with combat between UECG forces and Zolzal's insurrectionist forces that were desperately trying to gain a foothold in the district. Blaze was a part of a unit that was tasked with establishing a lifeline in the red light district in order to evacuate any remaining non-combatants from the city. He was firing at enemy soldiers attempting to defend themselves in a tortoise formation to fight them off, but their soldiers died quickly from Blaze's shots at them...

"Man, these idiots don't know they're losing." Blaze said, sarcastically.

"They are stubborn, I'll give them that." Micah, a fellow UECG soldier, said.

Blaze kept firing until he finally exhausted his ammunition, in which he immediately drew these two long knives from their sheaths on his sides. He leapt into the fray, slashing and killing the insurrectionist soldiers in his way, reciting how the ghosts earned their name from the old story, in his head...

" _When their ammunition ran dry, they used their blades, and when their blades went dull, they used their hands._ " Blaze thought.

He carved his way through the enemy soldiers, killing their lieutenants and their commanders, until he realized that there was one on the ground. He leaned towards the panicking soldier, and simply said something that would send him running...

"Boo." Blaze said.

The soldier screamed and ran away, in which the UECG soldiers immediately noticed that the running enemy had liquid coming down the side of his leg that was clearly not blood, causing them all to laugh. Upon securing the district, Blaze and his team sweep through the buildings while discussing the recent event...

"Blaze, how the hell did you do that?" Brandon asked.

"Lots of practice. You don't want to see what I can do in an interrogation." Blaze remarked.

"Now you know why the interrogation room he uses is always soundproofed." Lassiter, the commander said.

The soldiers immediately pushed out the last of the invading soldiers, immediately helping the imperial soldiers stationed there strengthen and fortify the district to keep it secure from Zolzal's forces. While they went to work, Xavier and his group put up a fierce fight while they pursue the former crown prince...

 **Market District Walls**

 **5:05 am**

Xavier and his group pressed their chase of the former crown prince and his escort of soldiers in order to prevent him from reaching the palace district. The escort consisted of a group of shield-users and magic casters, with Zolzal and his most trusted allies at the front. They rapidly gunned down the enemy soldiers, but the group seemed too large for them to eliminate.

"Why won't this son of a bitch give up?" Tanner, one of the soldiers said.

"He still thinks that he's going to become Emperor since his army is getting torn a new one." Xavier said.

" _Well, he isn't going to get far._ " Juliana said, firing to missiles ahead of the group to cut off his advance.

"Nice." Xavier said.

The group ran along the walls in pursuit of the former crown prince, chasing him left and right across the walls of the city, all the way to the point where Crispin got his leg stuck when a crack in the wall opened up. Juliana appeared in her chopper before him, in which he threw a dagger at the helicopter, only for it to bounce of the heli's metallic body.

"Boy, Apache beats everything!" Juliana said over the intercom.

In that moment before he could speak, Juliana gunned him down with the machine gun on her helicopter, much to Zolzal's horror. Another member of Zolzal's group, Hector, began to panic and become scared of the terrifying power that the UECG's military forces had possessed, in which Delvin, another member of Zolzal's inner circle, took notice of his fear...

"Hector, are you alright?" Delvin asked.

"They just killed him, without a second thought..." Hector said with a trembling voice.

"Focus, we need to get to the palace." Delvin said.

"But what if we cant?!" Hector said in a panicked tone.

"HECTOR!" Delvin shouts as Hector flees.

Hector flees down one wall path, where he mysteriously stops still after an arm wrapped in black cloth appears from around the corner. Hector falls to the ground dead, revealing that his killer was in fact none other than Nicole, a member of the Ghosts...

"I never even saw that child come around the corner." Delvin said.

"Never mind that, we must press on." Zolzal said.

The two men pressed on towards the gates of the palace, watching from atop the walls the army that Zolzal had assembled either be captured or massacred by the combined efforts of the Imperial forces and the UECG military troops. This only furthered Zolzal's rage, as he was determined to beat the empire and send the UECG back to Earth. He pushed onward to the palace, only to witness Delvin, the last of his trusted inner circle, be gunned down by an unknown sniper...

"Tyuule, this is Daryl, the S.O.B is all on his own now, you're good to go. _"_ Daryl said into his radio.

As Zolzal shook off the death of his comrade, he soldiered on and raced to the palace in order to reach his goal. However, his sword arm was slashed by an unknown individual wielding a blade while he ran, and Tyuule emerged from the shadows in full combat gear...

"Tyuule?" Zolzal said.

"Hello, your highness." Tyuule said in an angered tone.

"You aligned yourself with these...barbarians!?" Zolzal exclaimed.

"They are a civilization that treats all of us fair, they are not brutes." Tyuule said.

"Their own world was destroyed by their arrogance, they are unfit to call themselves a civilization." Zolzal argued.

"Their own world is dead now, this is now their new home." Tyuule said.

"I am trying to save the Empire, why are you interfering?" He demanded.

"You don't get to make demands of me, and this Empire turned on you as you failed to live to the standards that your father set for his successor." Tyuule explained.

"What do you expect to get out of this? Equality? A new name? I destroyed your civilization and your name, and you will never find a better life again." Zolzal said.

"Your daughter sends her regards." Tyuule said.

"That vermin lives!" Zolzal exclaimed.

Zolzal drew his sword while Tyuule readied two combat knives given to her as a reward for her training under Daniel. Their steel clashed as the battle around them unfolded, with Tyuule getting injured by Zolzal's sword while he got injured by her knives. Tyuule then staggered back, exhausted by rapidly striking him with her blades...

"You are finished, Tyuule." Zolzal said in an arrogant tone, clutching the handle of his sword tighter.

" _Is this how my story ends? I die at the hands of the man who destroyed my people?_ " Tyuule thought.

But in that moment, all of time began to slow down around her as she began to hear the voice of Daniel in her head, telling her one of the most important lessons he ever taught her...

" _No opponent is unbeatable, every enemy you fight has a flaw that is their undoing. If you can identify it, you can regain the initiative in a fight._ " Daniel explained.

" _Of course, the flaw of the Former Crown Prince, is that when he raises his weapon above his head, his neck is exposed as there is little armor there._ " Tyuule thought.

Zolzal raised his long sword, only for Tyuule to get the upper hand and slice his throat open wide with one of her combat knives. Blood spilled out of the wound, and he fell forward, his armor clattering hard against the cold hard ground. The sun began to rise over the battle-scarred capital, so Tyuule picked up her radio and began to speak...

"Gravekeeper, this is Tyuule, it's over, the former crown prince is dead." She said.

" _Understood, we'll spread the word._ " Daniel said.

( **Narration by Dante. _)_**

 **Zolzal's death symbolized the dawn of a new era, as the army that he had assembled during his time in exile had collapsed upon learning of their leader's death. Word had spread like wildfire among the Imperial forces and the UECG soldiers about the death of their number one enemy. The death toll for the Imperial army and their allies stood at approximately 434,000 souls lost, and the once-great fortifications of the Imperial Capital had sustained heavy damage. This day wouldn't be honored for ten whole days, until a memorial was established...**

 **Imperial Capital Battle Memorial**

 **9:00 am**

 **10 days later...**

A large crowd of citizens gathered in front of a massive statue in the shape of a knight with angel-like wings standing over the body of a fallen soldier. Among the citizens were UECG soldiers in their formal uniforms, while Xavier and Dante wore the armor that was made for them by the finest blacksmiths of the Empire. The Rose Knights stood together while Daniel stood at a podium alongside Molt, Pinya, Diabo, and the vassal state leaders and began to speak...

"Years ago, our world died a horrible fate as COLOSSUS Day descended on our home and brought a bloody end to our way of life. But we survived thanks to the kindness that this empire had shown when allowed us to cross into this world and rebuild our civilization. We were able to repay such kindness, when we stood together alongside your legions when this city fell under siege by a madman who sought nothing but power and to end the way you all had adjusted to. That is why, this memorial is hereby dedicated to the 434,000 brave souls who lost their lives defending your way of life. Now, back home we have a tradition, where upon a soldier's death, an "honor guard" of his closest fellow soldiers would fire three shots into the air to send him on his way. With the help of your forces, can we can recreate that tradition. I will now turn this over to Hazama, as he leads the Honor guard." Daniel said.

"HONOR GUARD, PRESENT ARMS!" Hazama shouted.

A long line of imperial riflemen raised their weapons at attention, then followed Hazama's instructions, firing three shots into the air. After that, Horns blared as the Emperor took a position at the podium to speak...

" I thank the Commander of the UECG's Ghosts for that compelling tribute to our fallen. Today marks the beginning of a new era for us all, an era of peace shall reign as we stand together alongside our allies of the UECG!" Molt proclaimed.

The crowd roared with excitement at Molt's words, with a thunderous applause blared across the capital. Xavier walked over to Bozes, who had seemed disturbed by something...

"What's up?" Xavier asked.

"I wish Beefeater were here, she would have loved this." Bozes said.

"Who said she isn't?" Xavier said, signaling Tomita.

Bozes watched as Tomita came up from around the crowd as if he was pushing something, in which she was about to cry tears of joy when she noticed that he was pushing a wheelchair bound Caty, who was wearing a formal dress...

"BEEFEATER!" Bozes said.

"Hello, captain." Beefeater said.

"She's been undergoing rehabilitation for the injuries she sustained in her fall." Tomita explained.

"I'm just glad she's alive." Bozes said.

"By the way, I've entered a relationship." Beefeater said.

"Really? With Who?" Bozes asked.

"Colonel Kengun, he's been kind enough to look after me while I recover." Beefeater explained.

"Well I hope you two have a good life." Xavier said.

Xavier looked to the sky and saw hundreds of doves fly, in which he knew that this world was going to be a better home for them...

 **This concludes Gate: Burn the Sky, starting with tragedy and sorrow but ending with a victory. Zolzal is dead, and the Empire survives a near destruction after being saved by the military forces of the UECG. Now, I intend to start the remastered version of a former RWBY story I did awhile back, so wait and see until its comes out...**

 **I LOOK FORWARD TO BECOMING A BETTER WRITER FROM MY PREVIOUS EFFORTS, AS _GATE: BURN THE SKY_ IS JUST THE BEGINNING...**


End file.
